The Earth Scout Chronicles: Season One
by Jason Ulloa
Summary: From my epic fanfic, The Earth Scout Chronicles. During the Silver Millennium, a boy was born to the ruling family of Jupiter. Now, sixteen years later, the war with the Dark Kingdom is about to commence, but will the addition of a fifth Scout be enough?
1. Prologue: Decisions

Preface - September 17, 2003  
  
Well, it's been over four years since the birth of this fic - The Earth Scout Chronicles - and I have to say that both this fic, and myself as a fanfiction writer, have come a long way. I mean, if you look at my writing style back then, and look at it now, you can see the difference.  
To be honest, as I looked through this series - eight chapters, a prologue and an epilogue - there were times when I thought to myself 'I can't believe I used to write like that. Ugh.' Well, that was four years ago and a lot can change in four years. I often thought of revising this series, updating it with my current style of writing. I'm divided on this for two reasons: On one hand, I've grown as a writer and since this fic this supposed to be my personal magnum opus, it should reflect as such. On the other hand, this is like a reminder of where I started from; a chronicle of my growth as a writer.  
I'm sure that some of you who are fanfiction writers as well have stories you've written that, when you look back at them, you realize that you can write so much better than that now. You probably were thinking the same thing I think when I look back on this series, written so long ago. Some of you may have updated your stories, some not. Although this fic is, in fact, in it's third revision - the first was written on paper and too horrible to even release to the public at large, and the second revision was just a name change from English dub names to original Japanese(i.e. Serena - Usagi) - it still remains the same as when I first started writing.  
I often wonder if all fanfic writers wonder the same thing I do as they continue to write: How much different will my writing style change in the future? Hopefully, the answer for all of us is that it can only get better as we continue.  
  
- Jason C. Ulloa  
  
Prologue: Decisions  
  
Decisions - they are what drive history. Our lives are the result of decisions that were made in the past and our future will be determined by the decisions we make now. They can be as simple as where we want to go or as important and final as whether someone lives or dies.  
Such is the burden we all carry. Though many are oblivious to it, I am not one such person. I know well how the choices we make affect our future. It is my job to know. I am the guardian of the timegate, Sailor Pluto.  
From my post, guarding the timegate, I can see how events unfold and shape the future. Since the future is fluid and uncertain, I can never be fully confident that the course events take is always the right one. I am only human and can make mistakes; however, sometimes it is hard to tell when I have made one. Sometimes, I can never be certain.  
One such decision stands out in my mind, during the Silver Millennium, sixteen years before the war with the Dark Kingdom....  
  
February 28 -  
  
The Queen of Jupiter was in the infirmary, finally giving birth to her first child. She had been in labor for a long time and her husband, the King, was  
  
getting a little worried. He hoped that there wouldn't be any problems. He stood by her, holding her hand and giving her his support.  
After many hours of painful labor, the child was born. The doctor informed them that it was a boy.  
But, something was wrong. The baby was quiet. No sound of a baby's crying. The King and Queen looked at each other, both with worried looks on  
  
their faces. One look at the doctor's disheartened expression told them that the worst had happened.  
Their son was born dead.  
The doctor told them that during birth, the umbilical cord had somehow wrapped around the baby's neck and strangled him while he was being born. She also said that she hadn't realized that anything was wrong during the birth. The birth seemed perfectly normal and gave her no cause for alarm. If she had known about the problem beforehand, then she could have saved his life.  
The tragic news spread though the Moon Kingdom very quickly. There were many that sent their condolences and sympathies, but there was only one thing that the King and Queen wanted - their son alive.  
When the doctor said that if she had known about the problem beforehand she could have prevented it, it gave the King an idea. He, like all of the other members of the royal families of the planets, knew of the timegate at the Moon Palace. If he could somehow warn his past self of what would happen to his first born, then he could prevent it from happening and he would have his son back.  
  
As soon as the King of Jupiter arrived at the Moon Palace, he was received immediately by Queen Serenity herself. He immediately noticed her gravid state. A polite inquiry on his part told him that she would be expecting her child to be born in about four months. The news reminded him of why he was there and he presented his request to her.  
She had heard of his tragedy and listened with sympathy. After he explained to her his plans and intent, the King awaited her decision.  
Queen Serenity informed him that although she would willingly grant his request, the decision was ultimately not hers to make. The final decision would be up to the guardian of the timegate. She granted him permission to take his request to me.  
After meeting the King of Jupiter at the entrance to the timegate, he gave me the details of his request. I listened to every word of his heartfelt plea. From the look on his face, he was very close to resorting to begging on his knees. When he finished, he merely stood quietly to one side and waited for me to give my answer.  
It wasn't an easy decision to make. Deciding whether or not to change the timeline is always a hard decision. There are so many things to consider. The results of changing the past aren't always good even if the intentions are benevolent.  
After a long time considering the possible outcome altering past events would have on the future, I came to my decision.  
I denied permission to use the timegate.  
When the King asked me why, I told him that sometimes things happen the way they do for a reason. There is a possibility that, if allowed to live, his son could have an adverse effect on the future. I could not risk that possibility.  
It was one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make. I told him so and fortunately he understood and thanked me for listening to his request. There was a look of hopelessness on his bereaved face as he turned and left.  
I learned later that about a year and ten months afterwards, the King and Queen of Jupiter had a baby girl. They were both overjoyed over the birth of their second child and relieved that she wasn't born dead like her older brother.  
All the time that I watched the King leave and for many, many years after that day, I wondered if I had made the right decision. With all of the possibilities to consider, both good and bad, I'm still not sure, even to this day. Whether I was right or wrong in my decision makes little difference now. I have made my decision and I can't change it, even if I wanted to....  
Or can I?  
  
As the King of Jupiter arrived at the entrance to the Palace's timegate, he felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't that this was a dangerous place or was frightening, but for some reason the mist-covered location of the timegate had a certain eerie feeling to it. A shadowy figure appeared in the mist and was slowly approaching him.  
"Sailor Pluto?" he called, trying to see through the mist. He knew it had to be her, but with the way this place was making him feel, he felt as though he had to make sure.  
"Yes, it's me," Sailor Pluto replied, emerging from the blanket of mist, carrying her key-shaped staff.  
The King nodded solemnly. "Thank you for seeing me. I have an important request to make," he said. "Queen Serenity told me that I should take this request to you, since you guard the timegate."  
"I see," Sailor Pluto said, thoughtfully. "And what is your request?"  
"I assume you have already heard about what happened a few days ago?"  
"You mean, about your son? Yes, I have. It must have been a great tragedy for you and your wife."  
"Indeed, it was," the King said, sadly. "She still grieves. This is the reason I came to see you.  
"After discovering that my son was dead, I asked that doctor if there was anyway that I could have prevented his death. She told me that if she had known beforehand, then she could have saved my son.  
"My request is this: I want to warn my past self about what will happen to my son. I want to try to save my son's life and this is to only way that I can think of to do it. Please, Sailor Pluto, this is my only hope. Can you grant my request?" When he finished, the King stood quietly, waiting for Sailor Pluto to give him her answer. He knew that his request to alter the past to save his son would be an important decision for her.  
Sailor Pluto watched him without expression throughout his entire plea. She remained quiet for a long time, thinking. After what seem like an eternity to the King, she had reached a decision.  
"I have decided to grant your request," she said, at last, "but I think it would be best if I do it myself. I will see to it."  
All hopelessness and despair immediately lifted from the King's face at Sailor Pluto's words. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" he said overjoyed. "I am in your debt." Spirits lifted, he turned and left.  
Watching him leave, she felt a sudden feeling of uncertainty come over her. "I hope I made the right decision," she said to herself.  
  
The sound of a baby's cry immediately brought the King of Jupiter into the room. He came to his wife's side just as the doctor was handing her their child. "It's a boy," the doctor said, giving the new parents a small grin and leaving the room.  
"There, there, shh...," the Queen of Jupiter said to her son, trying to calm him. Slowly, the crying subsided as he blinked and went to sleep in her arms. "That's a good boy." She looked up to her husband, her face radiant with joy. "Look at him. Isn't he beautiful? He has such lovely gray eyes."  
"What are we going to name him?" the King asked, his gaze transfixed on the tiny sleeping figure's face.  
"Well, dear, why don't you name him?" she said.  
The King considered the question for a moment. "What do you think of the name Ryoku?" he said, smiling.  
"Ryoku? Yes, I think that's a splendid name for our young prince." She looked down at her sleeping son. "Don't you agree, Prince Ryoku?"  
Afterwards, the King and Queen of Jupiter, when asked by Sailor Pluto, both swore never to tell anyone, especially their son, of how their son was saved by altering the natural course of events. They never minded, since they were grateful for her help in saving their son's life.  
About four months later, on June 30th, Queen Serenity had finally given birth to a baby girl she named Serenity. Despite the grief of losing her husband three months ago, she welcomed her new daughter warmly. Many said that the Princess Serenity resembled her mother very closely and would grow up to be as beautiful as her mother.  
Throughout that year and the next, each of the royal families of the Inner Planets celebrated the births of their children. Near the end of the first year, Princess Minako of Venus was born on October 22nd. During the next year, on  
  
the planet Mars, Princess Rei was born on April 17th. On September 10th, Princess Ami of Mercury was born, and on December 5th, a second child was born to the royal family of Jupiter, this time a girl - Princess Makoto. The royal family of Earth was the only one not expecting a child. They were perfectly happy with the one son that they had - Prince Endymion. Unknown to each of them, these seven would have a very important role to play in their collective future.  
And so, our story begins....  
But this time, a little differently....  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	2. Chapter 1: And So, Our Story Begins

Chapter 1: And So, Our Story Begins..  
  
He was alone.  
He grasped the wooden practice sword tightly in his hands and listened. His ears strained for the slightest hint of sound. From the east of the palace garden a slight breeze stirred, running through his dark brown hair and shifting the short, thin ponytail he wore at the base of his head. He gazed to his left and right, searching.  
The palace garden was apparently empty. There was nothing but trees, bushes and other plants. To his right was a marble bench. Far to his left was the garden fountain. Behind him was a tall row of bushes.  
Still nothing. He stood still, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. He knew he was out there. This time, he wouldn't be caught by surprise.  
A rustle of nearby bushes behind him was all the warning he had. Leaping out from behind the bushes, his opponent swung his own practice sword at his head. It was the same attack that was used on him just a few days ago. Apparently, his adversary thought that the same attack would work twice on him. This time, he was expecting it.  
He quickly moved his blade behind his head to block the attack while turning to face his opponent. As the two blades met with a loud crack, he finally faced him. The look of complete surprise mixed with disappointment gave him a feeling of satisfaction. Before his opponent could recover from his surprise, he began his attack.  
His first two attacks knocked his opponent off balance. The third knocked his opponent's sword out of his hand and placed his sword at the other's throat. The match was over.  
"Not bad, Endymion," he said removing his sword from Endymion's throat, "you almost had me that time." He folded his arms across his chest and smiled sardonically. "Next time, try not to use the same attack twice in a row."  
Endymion just laughed at him as he went to retrieve his practice blade. "Okay, Ryoku, so I made a small mistake." He picked up his blade and walked back. "I'll remember that next time."  
Ryoku just shrugged. "Well, since I won, you get to put the equipment away," he said, handing Endymion his practice sword and grinning smugly. He walked over to the bench where he left his sword. The sword was a gift from his father, especially made for him. The blade was of a medium length, light and sharp. On the hilt, two crossed swords were engraved: his personal sigil.  
Putting on his sword belt, he glanced at Endymion. When Ryoku arrived from Jupiter to train with his friend, almost a year ago, Endymion had been better at swordplay than him. As time progressed, he slowly began to become better at  
  
swordplay than Endymion. He had even learned how to use two swords at once.  
  
When he offered to teach Endymion how, he declined saying that one sword was good enough for him.  
Something was on Endymion's mind today. Despite the fact that he had given him a good match, he seemed distracted, as if his mind was on something else. "Something wrong, Endymion?" he asked, concerned.  
Endymion gave him a questioning look. "Wrong? What do you mean?"  
Ryoku didn't know if he was mistaken, or if Endymion was just trying to avoid answering his question. "Well, you seem to be a little distracted today. I just wanted to know if anything's wrong."  
Endymion just shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, Ryoku. I'm fine."  
"Then, what's gotten you so preoccupied that you lose your concentration? I've never known you to make such simple mistakes before," Ryoku asked. Endymion remained silent. "Come on, Endymion," he continued, "we've been friends for years. You can tell me."  
Endymion was quiet for a time, then sighed. "Well, all right," he said finally and sat down on the bench, putting the practice swords aside. "Ryoku, I think I'm in love."  
Ryoku was taken completely by surprise. "What?" he exclaimed, a sudden grin spreading across his face. "That's great, Endymion! No, wait," he said as Endymion opened his mouth to speak, "don't tell me who. Let me guess." He had very few opportunities to tease him since Endymion was usually very serious. He had a feeling he knew who had caught his eye, but he was determined to have a little fun at his expense.  
"Let's see... I know! It's Minako, right?" Endymion shook his head. "No? Hmm... Ami?" He shook his head again. "Wrong again? I got it! Rei!" Again, he shook his head. "It isn't Makoto, is it?" This time, Endymion smiled as he shook his head. "Okay, then." Now, he was certain.  
"So, it's Princess Serenity," Ryoku said, smiling slyly as Endymion nodded. "I thought so. She is beautiful. Does she feel the same for you?"  
Endymion shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I plan on finding out." One thing Ryoku had always admired about him was his determination.  
He already knew that Serenity had taken notice of Endymion, or at least that was what he assumed. During the occasions that he and Endymion went to the Moon Palace, Ryoku had noticed that lately the princess occasionally just stared at Endymion, but not for very long periods of time. Ryoku had come to the conclusion that she had fallen for Endymion. He considered telling him, but he decided against it. Besides, now it wasn't even necessary.  
"Well, Endymion, I wish you good luck," Ryoku said, turning to leave.  
  
"Although, I have a feeling you might not need it." Ryoku grinned over his shoulder. "I'm looking forward to tonight's ball at the Moon Palace. You'll let me know the good news?"  
"Of course," Endymion replied, smiling. "See you later, Ryoku."  
"Right. See you later," Ryoku replied and left the garden.  
After Ryoku left, Endymion stood, gathered the practice blades, and started to leave as well. As he strode across the garden, he stopped by a nearby rosebush and picked one. Since his personal sigil was a red rose, it seemed to be an  
  
appropriate gift for the Princess.  
There was going to be another ball held at the Moon Palace tonight. They were held quite often due to the long era of peace and prosperity the Moon Kingdom enjoyed. The ball presented the perfect opportunity for him to try to attract Princess Serenity's notice.  
He gazed down at the practice swords in his hand and sighed. He had often been taught that even in peace one must maintain one's vigilance or else become a victim. Although he couldn't doubt the sense in that, he sometimes wished it didn't seem so unnecessary at times.  
  
Serenity pulled out two gowns from her wardrobe and displayed them to her friend and guardian, Luna. The black cat was now lying on her bed on the other side of the room from where she was.  
"Well, Luna, what do you think?" Serenity asked, holding up two other gowns, one pink, and the other blue, each similar to the white one she was wearing now. "Shall I wear the pink one, the blue one or the white?"  
Luna considered the question. "Hmm... I think the white one," she said, pointing to the white gown from her position on Serenity's bed. "Yes, the white one suits you better."  
Serenity nodded her agreement and put the other two gowns away. "Oh, Luna," she said worriedly, sitting down next to Luna, "do you think that this time Prince Endymion will finally notice me? I don't know if he's ever seen me as anyone but Princess Serenity of the Moon." She sighed slightly at the title she was born with.  
Luna gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, Serenity. I'm sure everything will work out just fine."  
Serenity sighed and smiled back. "I suppose you are right, Luna," she said, slowly rising from her bed. "We should be heading for the ballroom soon. The ball should be starting soon and I want to be there when my friends arrive."  
"And I was just getting comfortable, too," Luna complained, getting to her feet. She jumped off the bed and left the room, with Serenity trailing behind her.  
Serenity and Luna entered the ballroom, searching for the familiar faces of her friends. She didn't see any of them, so they hadn't arrived yet. She decided to watch for them from the balcony.  
When she reached the top of the balcony, she looked out over the entire room. It was a beautiful ballroom; the white pillars and giant crystal chandelier in the middle of the ceiling was a grand sight. The entire room was big enough to fit over five hundred people comfortably, but that many people wouldn't be able to dance in the crowded space. Fortunately, there wasn't going to be that many people - only about two hundred.  
As Serenity gazed out over the mingling crowd, she noticed a familiar mane of long black hair had just arrived, joined by an equally familiar blonde. 'Ah, Rei and Minako have arrived,' she thought and went to join them. As she descended from the balcony to join her friends two other girls, one a brunette and the other blue- haired, joined the first two. 'Makoto and Ami. Now they're all here, except for Prince Ryoku and Prince Endymion.'  
Minako was the first one to notice her arrival. "Good evening, Princess Serenity," she said, curtsying formally.  
Serenity laughed softly and smiled. "Come on, Minako. You know you don't have to act so formal towards me."  
"I know," Minako said playfully, dropping the formality easily. "I was only playing with you."  
The rest of the girls greeted Serenity a little more casually. She returned the greetings and looked around for Ryoku and Endymion - especially Endymion. "Have any of you seen Prince Endymion yet?" Serenity asked.  
Makoto shook her head. "No, but he and Ryoku should be arriving soon."  
As if on cue, both Endymion and Ryoku entered. Serenity's gaze fixed on Endymion immediately. To her surprise and delight, this time he was looking directly at her as well. As their eyes met, Serenity found that she couldn't move. Apparently, neither could Endymion, since Ryoku had to give him a small shove forward when he discovered that Endymion wasn't even listening to him anymore. After getting Endymion to move, he followed him to where she and her friends were gathered together. Ryoku waved to the small gathering as he and Endymion approached.  
  
"Hello ladies! We're not late, are we?"  
Makoto grinned. "Nah, you two are just in time."  
Endymion stopped in front of Serenity, each still gazing into the other's eyes. Endymion pulled out the rose he picked earlier and held it out to her. "For you, my princess," he said, softly.  
She accepted the gift and smiled shyly as she blushed. "Oh, Endymion, it is beautiful."  
"A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady," he replied.  
Ryoku looked to the other four girls and gestured for them to follow him. "Giving them some time alone?" Minako asked, giving him a sly look. Ryoku shrugged and smiled as the music began to play.  
"Maybe," he replied, glancing over his shoulder to where others were approaching the dance floor. "Ah, the music's starting. Minako, would you care to dance?"  
"Sure," she answered and followed him to the dance floor. The others followed shortly after, each with partners of their own.  
Endymion gestured towards the dance floor, which was slowly filling with dancing couples. "May I have the pleasure of this dance?" he asked, extending his hand to her. In reply, Serenity simply placed her hand in his and followed him towards the dance floor.  
They danced almost every dance that night. Before the ball concluded, they left the ballroom and took a walk outside in the palace's garden. They stopped next to one of the Moon Palace's many fountains and gazed out into the starry night. The view of the Earth was perfect.  
"Oh, Endymion," Serenity sighed, "this has been such a wonderful night. If only it didn't have to end."  
"Then, before it does end," Endymion said, gazing lovingly into her eyes, "allow me to give you something to remember me by." He drew her into his embrace and they kissed, long and passionately.  
  
Ryoku was enjoying every minute of the ball. He had spent most of the night dancing with many different partners, but most often with Rei, Minako and Ami. During the times when he wasn't dancing, he talked with his sister.  
He was dancing with Rei when he noticed Endymion and Serenity leave the ballroom together. 'Going for a little walk with Serenity, Endymion? he thought with a smile. I suppose you don't want me to wait up for you, huh?'  
'What is he staring at?' Rei thought as she noticed Ryoku's inattentiveness. 'Doesn't he know it's rude to ignore the person he's dancing with?' She cleared her throat to get his attention. "See anything interesting, Ryoku?" she asked sharply as he quickly turned back to her.  
"Oh, um.... Sorry about that Rei," he said sheepishly.  
Rei's irritation was slowly replaced with curiosity. 'It's not like him to suddenly just stare off at nothing. I wonder what he was staring at?'  
As the music came to an end, they left the dance floor to join the others, who were taking a breather. "Hey, Ryoku," Makoto said as he and Rei joined them, "aren't you tired yet? You've been dancing almost non-stop. How about sitting this one out? Besides, the rest of us are getting a little tired, even if you aren't."  
During the ball, Ryoku had danced with each of them several times, changing partners after each dance. They were all great dancers and he enjoyed their  
  
company. "All right," he said, grinning, "but just this one dance."  
"Gee, thanks," Rei said sarcastically. "By the way, what were you staring at back there?"  
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," he said nonchalantly.  
"Hey, have either of you seen Serenity or Prince Endymion anywhere?" Ami asked them.  
"Yeah, I saw them just a few minutes ago," Ryoku replied.  
"I thought you said you weren't staring at anything," Rei remarked.  
"Well..."  
"Did you see where they went?" Ami continued.  
'Thanks for the save,' Ami, Ryoku thought. "I didn't see exactly where they went, but I think I can guess." He turned to glance in the direction where the couple in question left the ballroom just as the music ended.  
"Well? Aren't you going to tell us?" Minako asked eagerly.  
'What? And let you try to eavesdrop on them?' Ryoku thought with the hint of a smile spreading across his face. "I think they wish to be alone for the remainder of the night," he said in an admonishing tone. As the music for the next dance began, his grin grew even wider. "Besides, the music is starting up again." He didn't want to elaborate any further on that subject. "Minako, would you care to dance?"  
Minako shook her head and sat down next to Makoto, who had already taken a seat to sit out the next dance. "I'm sorry, Ryoku. I'm still tired from the last few dances." As she looked in Ami's direction, a sudden sly grin grew across her face. "I know! How about you ask Ami to dance?"  
"Not a bad idea," he said, turning to Ami, "if it's all right with you, of course." He extended his hand to her. "Well, Ami? Would you care to dance with me?"  
"Sure," she said, smiling shyly. Placing her hand in his, she followed him onto the ballroom dance floor.  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	3. Chapter 2: The First Move

Chapter 2: The First Move  
  
Endymion watched as Ryoku went through a complex series of sword techniques using both Endymion's and his own practice swords. He was both impressed and slightly envious of Ryoku's natural ability with swords, although he would never tell him that.  
Ryoku started to slowly accelerate his movements; his swords becoming twin blurs moving quickly about him. He darted in one direction swinging both swords at once, both perfectly parallel to each other, and then suddenly changed direction without slowing, his blades moving fluidly with him. He continued his exercise, each movement precisely executed, for a few moments longer. When he was finished, he went through the motions of sheathing both swords, although the swords were only for practice and had no sheaths. Wearily, he made his way to the nearby bench Endymion was standing by and sat down, laying the blades beside him.  
Endymion handed him the towel he had been holding for him. "You know, I still think you're overdoing it with two swords," he said, smirking.  
Ryoku wiped his forehead dry of sweat and hung the towel around his shoulders. "I'd bet I could teach you to do the same in a few months," he replied challengingly. "That is, if you practice non-stop."  
"Um, no thanks. I've told you before I think one sword is just fine," he replied wryly. "Besides, I have other commitments."  
"Right," Ryoku said conspiratorially, raising one eyebrow in amusement. "So, how long have you and Serenity been seeing each other? Almost a year?"  
"Just about."  
"Really? You two serious?"  
"Very. In fact, just yesterday I proposed to her."  
"You what?" Ryoku exclaimed and rose sharply from the bench, astounded by the news. "She said yes?"  
"Yeah," Endymion answered, nodding.  
Ryoku grinned and shook Endymion's hand. "That's wonderful news! Have  
  
you two set a date, yet?"  
Endymion couldn't help but grin back. "Not yet, but I'll let you know." Then, his expression turned thoughtful. "You know, Ryoku, sometimes I can't help but wonder how come you don't have a girlfriend by now."  
Ryoku gave him a questioning look. "Why do you ask?" The small grin returned to his face. "Don't tell me you're trying to fix me up with one of Serenity's friends just like Makoto is trying to do with hers?" he said, a little amused. "Did she put you up to it?"  
"Well...."  
"Ah, don't worry about it, Endymion. As a matter of fact, I happen to already have a preference."  
"Oh?" he countered, mildly surprised. "And may I ask, who?"  
Ryoku's smile widened as he folded his arms across his chest. "No, you may not ask. It's a surprise. You'll find out when everyone else does."  
  
It was dark and cold. The sun had been down for quite some time and wasn't due to rise for another length of time, making this place not only freezing cold, but also bleak and desolate as well. Not exactly the best place for a base, but at the same time it seemed the most appropriate. The atmosphere fit both her personality and her mood at the present. The first phase of her plan had worked perfectly - they had arrived undetected. Now, it was time to move on to the next part of her plan.  
Queen Beryl wasted no time in summoning her warriors to their new base near the Earth's North Pole. She instructed them to move as quickly, but as quietly, as they could in order to avoid notice as long as possible. Doing so would be slower than just having them all come at once, but that would surely give their presence away. The time was not yet right for their presence to be known. But, that time would arrive soon enough.  
She was growing impatient and anxious by the time all of her warriors arrived. "It's about time you all got here," Queen Beryl growled, "Now, Jadeite! Nephrite! Zoisite! Kunzite! Come here at once!"  
Immediately her four Generals appeared before her. "Yes, Queen Beryl?" they said in unison.  
"The time has come to implement the second part of my plan. Each of you are to use whatever methods you wish in preparing to conquer Earth's capital city without raising an alert. I don't want to have to waste any energy when I don't have to. I may need it for the final part of my plan.  
"I also want you all to gather as much energy as you can. I will need a vast amount if I am to fully revive our Master, Queen Metallia. You can get the energy I need from the cities surrounding the Earth's capital. This also has to be done without raising an alert. This is just as crucial to my plan as conquering the Earth, so don't fail me in either one. I expect complete success from each of you. Now, go." The four Generals each bowed and left.  
Staring into the floating crystal in front of her, she mulled over the current status of her plan. Conquering Earth was indeed a crucial part of her plan. In order to invade the Moon and crush the Moon Kingdom she needed to first get rid of anything that might get in her way. If she were to try to invade the Moon right away, then they would be open to an attack from behind by the Earth's forces.  
If she conquered the Earth first, then not only would she destroy any chance of reinforcements arriving to aid the Moon Kingdom, but she would also have a base to invade from. It was perfect. Now that the second part of her plan was underway all she had to do was wait.  
Unconsciously, a small wicked grin spread across her face, her fangs glistening darkly in the pale light.  
  
'Ah, here it is, just where I left it.'  
His training with Endymion finished - or at least he had learned as much as Endymion could teach him - Ryoku had come back home only a few days ago. Now, he was in his room in Jupiter's palace, looking for his guitar.  
He sat down on his bed and looked over his guitar. It was a sandy brown color with a dark brown neck. The strings were well cared for; none of them looked like they needed to be replaced.  
Playing one single chord told him that even if no one had touched his guitar in the time he had been gone, it had still gone out of tune. 'No problem, at least it's only a little out of tune.'  
After tuning his guitar, he started to play one of his favorite songs. Since he hadn't played in such a long while, he made quite a few mistakes. 'Well, what else did I expect? At least I can still play well; all I need is some practice.'  
A few hours later, his playing had improved to his normal level of skill. Even though his fingers were beginning to ache, he wasn't making any more mistakes.  
"That was pretty good," his sister said as soon as he concluded a final run through some of his favorite songs. Makoto came into his room about a half- hour ago and just sat next to him on his bed, listening to him play. "I guess you haven't forgotten how to play during that training, huh?" Ryoku noticed a teasing quality in her voice.  
"No, I don't think I have forgotten. I've only been gone for almost two years." he replied, rising from his bed. He walked to the place where he left his guitar the last time and replaced it carefully. He then returned to his bed and sat next to his sister. "That's not enough time to forget something like playing a guitar," he said simply.  
Even now, he was still amazed that after being taller than Makoto for most of his life, during the past year, she had grown to exactly the same height as him. Needless to say, she was tall for a girl. Of course, she never minded that. In fact, she enjoyed being taller than most girls. 'It's easier to see all the cute guys in the room,' she had said once, 'and it's just as easy for them to see me.'  
"Ryoku, I was just teasing. Don't take everything I say so literally," she said, slightly annoyed. When she saw his slightly smug expression, which he wasn't bothering to hide, she realized that he had succeeded in baiting her. She promptly proceeded to beat him mercilessly with one of his pillows.  
"Hey, watch it!" he said, while laughing and trying to fend off her attack at the same time. "Cut it out! Quit it, Makoto!"  
"Do you surrender?" she asked, brandishing the pillow.  
"All right! All right! Mercy!" he exclaimed, holding up his hands defensively, still laughing.  
Having fulfilled her revenge on her brother, she replaced his pillow. When she saw what her continuous pounding did to his hair, she laughed at his disheveled appearance.  
"Hey, what's so funny?" he demanded.  
"You should see how you look!" she gasped, pointing at his head.  
Ryoku turned around in order to look into the full-length mirror standing next to the wall behind him. His reflection showed that some of his hair had escaped his ponytail and was strewn everywhere. He scowled at Makoto and quickly straightened his hair. "Thanks a lot!" he said petulantly.  
"Anytime, Ryoku!" she replied with a grin. She rose from his bed and stood next to the doorway. "So, are you coming with me to tomorrow's ball?"  
"Another ball?" Ryoku asked suspiciously.  
"Yeah. Come on, Ryoku. I want you to come with me."  
Ryoku gave his sister a considering look. 'So, Makoto, you're still trying to fix me up with one of your friends, huh? Well, this time I've got a surprise for you.' "Well, okay," Ryoku said, smiling.  
Makoto blinked in surprise for a moment. She was expecting to try to convince him to come with her, but now found it unnecessary. "Oh, by the way," she said over her shoulder, as she turned to leave, her voice thoughtful, "you should wear that gray suit of yours. It goes well with your eyes."  
He groaned and rolled his eyes in exasperation while she left, laughing. Just like her to get the last word.  
  
Luna exited Serenity's room, still searching for her. 'I bet she's outside on the veranda looking up at the Earth again,' Luna thought, heading for the veranda. Arriving at her destination, she found Serenity staring longingly at the Earth, just as she predicted.  
"Serenity, there you are. I've been looking for you," Luna said. "Your mother wants to discuss the arrangements for your wedding to Prince Endymion with you." Noticing Serenity's expression, Luna grew concerned for her. "Is there something troubling you, Princess Serenity?"  
"No, I'm all right," she answered, turning to Luna. "Thank you for your concern, though. Mother wishes to see me?"  
"Yes. About your wedding."  
"My wedding," Serenity said almost breathlessly, returning her gaze back to the Earth. "Oh, Luna, I've never been so happy in my entire life. Endymion and I are getting married. It's like a dream come true."  
Luna smiled at Serenity's joyful reverie. "I'm very happy for you, Serenity. I'm sure you and Prince Endymion will be happy together."  
"Thank you, Luna," Serenity said, turning back to Luna again. "Would you mind going on ahead of me and inform Mother that I will be with her in a few minutes?"  
"Of course," Luna replied and left.  
Before leaving, Serenity took one last look at the Earth. 'Soon, Endymion, we will be together.'  
Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down her spine from the base of her neck to the soles of her feet. At the same time, a small feeling of impending doom washed over her senses. She gasped in shock at the sensation, which had disappeared as quickly as it began.  
As short as it was, Serenity wasn't completely sure if the feeling she had was real. 'Did I imagine it? I hope this isn't some kind of sign. Oh, Endymion....' Deciding to tell her mother about the ominous premonition she had experienced, she quickly tore her gaze from the Earth and started for the throne room.  
  
Jadeite laughed as he drained the last of the energy from the humans whose city he had just demolished with his army of Dark Kingdom soldiers. "This is just too easy," he said, admiring the mass destruction that he had caused. "They didn't even put up a halfway decent struggle. If this is the extent of the Earth's fighting power, then it will be mere child's play to take over this worthless planet."  
Gathering all the energy he had collected from the defeated population and sent it back to Queen Beryl. "One thing these humans are good for," he muttered derisively, "is supplying energy."  
Making sure that there was no one left to send forewarning to other cities, Jadeite quickly gave orders for his army to advance to the next city. As the order was passed down through the ranks, he glanced toward the direction of the Earth's capital city, somewhere past the northern horizon. 'If the others are taking cities as quickly and easily as I am,' he thought to himself, grinning with anticipation, 'then we should reach the capital city in no time.'  
He could hardly wait.  
  
Reaching his destination, Nephrite gazed over the city from his location atop the nearby hill. Concentrating, he raised his arms over his head, a crimson glow igniting around him.  
"I ask for power from the stars," he intoned, "Magnify my power tenfold! Unleash Leo the Lion, Draco the Dragon, Taurus the Bull, and Scorpio the Scorpion!"  
When he finished, several small lights emerged from the crimson glow surrounding him. The lights separated into four different clusters, each group arranging themselves into a replica of a star constellation. Out of each group of lights, a different beast appeared - a lion, a dragon, a bull, and a scorpion.  
"You are to tear this city down to the ground," Nephrite ordered. "While you do so, make sure to gather as much energy as you can from the humans. No one is to escape. Now, go!"  
Each of the four beasts made quick work of the city. In only a few minutes the city was completely devastated. Recalling the beasts, he drained them of the energy they had collected from the humans and sent it to Queen Beryl. "Hmm... these humans certainly do possess a large quantity of energy," he mused to himself. "If what I've collected is any indication, these humans have more than enough energy to supply Queen Beryl with what she needs."  
Nephrite turned his gaze to the east. Just barely over the horizon, Nephrite could see the very top of what had to be the Earth Palace, which meant that the Earth's capital city of Tokyo wasn't very far away. He could just imagine the palace's walls crumbling as he laid waste to it. It wouldn't be long before he would make it happen.  
He could hardly wait.  
  
Upon their arrival at the next city, en route to the city of Tokyo, Zoisite and Kunzite sent out their army of humans imbued with Dark energy. The energy that the humans were saturated with not only made them into powerful warriors completely loyal to the Dark Kingdom, but also turned them into deformed, hideous monsters. The best part was that a great deal of the Dark energy that they used to transform the humans was created by using the energy that they had collected from other humans. The irony was truly wonderful.  
In moments, the entire city was crushed by the overpowering forces of the Dark Kingdom. After the city had fallen, Zoisite and Kunzite drained the energy the humans/warriors had built up while ravaging the city. The collected energy was then sent to Queen Beryl.  
"That went very well, wouldn't you agree, Kunzite?" Zoisite asked, smugly.  
"Yes, Queen Beryl should be pleased with the progress we've been making as well as with the energy we have collected," Kunzite agreed.  
"Let's move on to the next city, shall we?"  
"A great idea, Zoisite. The sooner we get to the Earth Palace and destroy it, the sooner Queen Beryl will be able to move on to the next part in her plan to destroy the Moon Kingdom," Kunzite said, grinning maliciously, "starting with the Moon Palace!"  
As they both looked out to the horizon, they could see the capital city just over the horizon to the southwest. It was close. Very close.  
They could hardly wait.  
  
Queen Beryl was pleased. Her generals were taking city by city, gathering tremendous amounts of energy, bringing her closer and closer to reviving Metallia. Gazing into the crystal ball floating in front of her, she monitored the progress of her four Generals as they continued their relentless march towards the city of Tokyo and the Earth Palace.  
Everything was going according to plan. Soon, the Earth would be hers and nothing would stop her from completely wiping out the pitiful Moon Kingdom and dominating the entire universe! Victory would be hers!  
She could hardly wait.  
  
Coming out of hiding and looking out a window, Umino viewed the devastation that had taken place just a few moments ago. "Wow, this looks terrible," he said, astonished and slightly terrified by the mass destruction he had witnessed, "And I thought it was supposed to be peaceful out here. Now I wish they never sent me. Well, I'd better see if anyone else is alive."  
Adjusting his glasses, he exited the communications building and proceeded to look around. There was nothing but broken buildings and debris everywhere. As he surveyed the extent of the damage, he suddenly heard a pair of voices conversing with each other. 'Could it be that there actually are other survivors out there?' he thought. 'I'd better go see if they're all right.'  
He silently ran towards the source of the voices. He wanted to yell out to them to let them know he was coming, but for some reason, he had a strong feeling that doing so would be a very bad decision. As he turned the corner, he came to an abrupt stop and jumped back around the corner before he could be detected. Carefully peeking around the corner of the building, he took a more careful look at what he saw.  
A huge army of twisted creatures was steadily marching past; following the orders of two figures whose gray uniforms he didn't recognize. As he listened to them talk amongst themselves, he realized that their voices were the ones he had heard earlier. Now that he was closer, he could hear them clearly.  
"Do you think that Jadeite and Nephrite are succeeding as easily as we are?" the female asked.  
"If the pitifully weak struggle these humans put up is any indication, then they should be," the male answered. "We should reach the Earth Palace at about the same time. With Jadeite to the south, Nephrite to the west and us to the northeast, we should be able to surround and destroy the city of Tokyo easily."  
"Then, the Earth will belong to Queen Beryl," the female replied.  
'Queen Beryl? So, she's the one behind this destruction. I'd better warn the palace before it's too late,' Umino thought, quickly dashing back to the communications building. 'I just hope I'm not too late already....'  
  
"Sir, we have a incoming signal, Priority One. Origin is forty-five miles, due northeast."  
Motoki grew concerned at the news. A Priority One signal is something rarely used, since it was reserved for the direst of emergencies. To use such a signal could only mean it wouldn't be good news. "Let's hear it," he told his communications officer.  
"Yes, sir," the officer replied, turning on the receiver. The sound of static permeated the message, distorting it, but it was still somewhat understandable.  
"This is communications officer Umino... grrrzzz ...mergency! We have just been attacked... grrrzzz ...der the command of someone named Queen Ber... grrrzzz ...been totally destroyed! They've even managed to turn people int... grrrzzz ...gainst us! There are three separate forces, each... grrrzzz ...Palace. One is to the south, another... grrrzzz ...west and the last one is to the northeast. They... grrrzzz ...surrounding the palace and destroying... grrrzzz ...warn Prince Endymion...."  
"So," a female voice suddenly shouted, cutting in mid-sentence, "it seems that we have found a survivor... grrrzzz ...already contacted someone!"  
"We may have lost... grrrzzz ...of surprise, but that hardly matters," another male voice added. "It's already too late... grrrzzz ...taking over your planet for Queen Beryl. Now, to take care of you... grrrzzz...." There was a small muffled explosion and then nothing but static.  
Motoki was the first to snap out of the stunned silence that seemed to take hold of everyone in the room. "Turn it off," he said quietly, running his right hand through his blonde hair nervously.  
'What just happened?' he thought worriedly. 'This Queen Beryl.... I've never heard of her before. She just came out of nowhere. We need to inform Prince  
  
Endymion of this at once.'  
"Naru, I need you to take a message to General Sakurada immediately," he said to the palace messenger standing nearby.  
"What's the message?" she asked, waiting.  
"Tell her that this is an emergency. We have received a priority one message of an attack against one of our cities. Although only one message has been transmitted, there may have been several other attacks where our communications officers were unable to send an alarm. We need to inform Prince Endymion of what happened at once. We should also inform Queen Serenity of these attacks as well. We may need assistance from the Moon. That is all. Please hurry."  
"Yes, sir," she replied and left quickly.  
  
"This is disturbing news indeed, Naru," General Sakurada said worriedly. She had almost finished reviewing a stack of reports from yesterday when Naru rushed into her office. After hearing Naru recount the message she heard earlier, she had completely forgotten about them. "Right now, Prince Endymion is on the Moon  
  
attending tonight's ball. We can't wait for him to return. We must meet these invaders before they get here," she said, rising from her desk. "How much time did Colonel Furuhata say we have until they get here?"  
"He didn't say. He just told me the message to take to you."  
"I see. Well, what do you think?"  
Naru blinked in surprise for a moment then considered the question. "Well, I'd guess maybe sometime tomorrow."  
"Yes, I'd guess that, too," Sakurada agreed, nodding. She walked over to the wall where she hung her sword and stared at the blade. It was a medium length sword with a double edge. On the hilt was engraved the insignia of her office as the First General of the Earth's army - a crescent moon with the symbol for Earth placed in the hollow. I've never really had to use this thing before. Now, my life may depend on how well I can use it. She sighed and turned back to Naru.  
"Three separate groups and they all have to be stopped at once? This is just perfect," she muttered irritably, starting to pace back and forth. "I guess there's just no choice but to split the army three ways take them all on at once." She stopped, sighed again and sat back down at her desk. "Thank you, Naru. When you reach Prince Endymion, please let him know what's going on down here. I think it would be best if he asked Queen Serenity for some assistance as well. We're going to need it. Now, please hurry."  
"Yes, ma'am," Naru replied and rushed out of the office as fast as she had previously entered.  
Sakurada's expression darkened as she brooded over her situation. 'Three groups to fight at once? I don't like it one bit, but I don't have any say in the matter. These invaders have to be stopped or at least stalled until Prince Endymion could arrive with reinforcements. Now, what did Naru say? One group to the south, one to the west and one to the northeast? Well, I'll take the group to the south. Hmm... I think I'll send General Nagashima to the west and General Akiyama to the northeast. Now, that that's decided, I'd better go make preparations.'  
As she left to prepare for the upcoming battles, she sighed softly at the realization that the long era of peace they had enjoyed was now over. Even worse, their own people were being forcibly turned against them. Not only would they have to fight Queen Beryl's forces, but they may have to fight their own people as well.  
'One thing's for sure, Queen Beryl won't get away with this!'  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	4. Chapter 3: Destiny Calls

Chapter 3: Destiny Calls  
  
Serenity and Endymion watched from the balcony as the guests entered the ballroom. As Serenity stood next to Endymion, holding onto his arm, she began to forget the apprehensive feeling she had not too long ago, when she experienced that foreboding premonition as she stared at the Earth. When she told her mother and Endymion, when he arrived, they had both told her that it might have meant nothing at all. Although she still held some apprehension over what she felt, she wasn't as worried over it as she was before. Just being near Endymion helped.  
Earlier, Endymion had told her about what Ryoku had told him a few days ago. The news surprised her a little bit. "Really? Ryoku told you he's found someone?" she said, smiling.  
"Yeah, but he didn't tell me who," Endymion said. "He said I'd find out when everyone else did."  
"I've always wondered why he never had a girlfriend before," Serenity mused aloud. "He always seemed like such a nice guy to me."  
More guests were starting to fill the ballroom. One quick glance over the ballroom told her that none of her friends had arrived yet.  
"I'll bet it's Minako," Endymion said suddenly.  
"What?" Serenity asked, a little confused.  
"I was talking about who Ryoku likes. I'll bet it's Minako."  
"You think so?" Serenity asked contemplatively. Just then, Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto and Ryoku all entered the ballroom at the same time. "Oh, look. They're all here. I guess we'll soon find out."  
Serenity and Endymion left the balcony and went to join the others. Makoto was the first to see them and waved them over. "Hi, Serenity! Hi, Endymion! So, when's the wedding?" she said as soon as the couple had approached.  
"Hi, Makoto," Serenity said, smiling. "The wedding is going to be held in a few weeks."  
"A few weeks?" Ami asked, surprised. "That soon?"  
"Well...," Endymion began.  
"Aw, come on, Ami," Minako said as Endymion faltered. "I think it's romantic. I bet it's going to be such a big wedding. After all, everyone in the Moon Kingdom will be there since it's the Moon Princess who's getting married."  
"Yeah, it'll probably last for a few days, at least," Rei added.  
"There'll be lots of dancing," Makoto said, glancing at her brother, who gave her a questioning look in return.  
"Speaking of which," Endymion said, taking Serenity's hand as the music began to play, "would you care to dance?"  
"I would love to," she answered and followed him onto the dance floor.  
Ryoku smiled to himself as he watched them leave. Turning back to the  
  
others, he noticed that Rei had already left and Minako was talking to some guy. Makoto and Ami were off to one side, talking. 'Hmm, might as well wait until she's done. Don't want to interrupt.'  
As Minako walked off to the dance floor with the guy she was talking with, Makoto finished talking with Ami and walked over to where Ryoku was watching the dancing crowd. "Something wrong, Ryoku?" she asked, "Usually you would've already found a dance partner and started dancing by now."  
Ryoku looked at his sister and grinned. 'Well, I guess this is as good a time as any.' "Actually, I was waiting for someone."  
"Oh?" Makoto asked, grinning slyly. "Who?"  
"You'll see," Ryoku said casually and walked over to where Ami was standing. He noticed she was watching the crowd just as he was a while ago. "Hello, Ami," he said, walking up to her.  
"Hello, Ryoku. I thought you would've been out there already," she said, pointing at the dance floor.  
"Well, I wanted to ask you to dance sooner, but since you were talking to Makoto at the time, I decided to wait."  
"You waited just to dance with me?"  
"Yes. A gentleman will always wait for a lady, especially one as beautiful as you," Ryoku told her with a small smile.  
Ami blushed a little at the compliment. "Thank you, Ryoku."  
"Would you care to dance with me?" he asked, offering her his hand.  
"Yes, I'd love to," she replied, following Ryoku to the dance floor.  
  
Naru dashed through the main hallway of the Moon Palace searching for  
  
Prince Endymion. She knew he had to be here since he hadn't returned to Earth yet. She could still remember every word of that message she had heard earlier. She didn't think she would ever be able to forget it. Just remembering it was enough to make her rush even more. The ballroom couldn't be far away.  
As she ran through the palace, she noticed that some of the guests were departing. 'Oh, I hope this doesn't mean that the ball is over already,' she thought worriedly, searching frantically. 'I need to find Prince Endymion before he leaves for Earth.'  
Reaching the end of the hallway, Naru was about to turn to the left when she ran into someone, knocking them both off their feet. "Oh, excuse me," Naru said quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming."  
"That's all right," Endymion said after getting to his feet, "accidents happen. Here, let me help you up." Kneeling, he took Naru's hands and pulled her to her feet. "You're Naru, right? Are you okay?"  
"Prince Endymion! Finally, I've found you! I have an extremely urgent Priority One message for you from General Sakurada!" she said urgently.  
"Priority One!" Endymion exclaimed, completely aghast. "That hasn't been used for such a long time. What could have happened to have her use such a level of urgency?" Endymion frowned at the thought. "Whatever it is, it can't be good. Now, Naru, what is the message? What has happened on Earth in my absence?"  
Naru quickly told Endymion everything that had happened while he was on the Moon. "As I left, General Sakurada was preparing to send the army to stop the invasion from reaching the palace. She's probably holding them off now as we speak.  
"General Sakurada also wanted me to inform Queen Serenity of our emergency as well," Naru continued. "She thinks that we may need assistance in fighting the invading forces."  
As Naru recounted the events that had taken place during the last few hours, Endymion's expression grew darker and darker. Cities destroyed and casualties amassed all on the orders of someone named Queen Beryl. His planet was slowly being taken over by this Queen Beryl and he wasn't there to prevent it. Although he knew that just charging off to do battle with the enemy would be both senseless and foolhardy, that didn't stop him from wanting to. Still, from what Naru had told him, he needed a plan and he needed help.  
"General Sakurada has the right idea," Endymion said after a long silence. "From what you've told me, we may need help. Let's go see Queen Serenity. This news can't wait."  
  
"Queen Serenity, we may need assistance in fighting Queen Beryl's forces. We ask for you to aid us in any way you can," Endymion said.  
Endymion, Naru, Queen Serenity and her cat advisors, Luna and Artemis, were the only ones present in the throne room at the moment. Naru stood silently to one side after delivering her message to Queen Serenity. Luna and Artemis both stood at the queen's side, listening silently as well. Endymion was standing in front of the seated Queen Serenity, awaiting what she had to say in reply to his request.  
"Prince Endymion, it is unfortunate that such a thing should occur, especially being so close to your wedding day," she said sadly. "It is also sad that such a long time of peace had to end so abruptly and in such a manner.  
"We had prepared for such an occurrence, but from what your messenger, Naru, has told me, I fear that our preparations may not be enough to end Queen Beryl's threat."  
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we have no choice but to revive the Sailor Scouts," Luna said.  
"Luna's right," Artemis added. "We won't have much of a chance without the Sailor Scouts."  
"The Sailor Scouts?" Naru asked. "The five female warriors who saved the Moon Kingdom from an ancient evil being many years ago?"  
"And began the Silver Millennium," Queen Serenity replied. "Yes, the same ones. I hoped to never have to do so, but Luna and Artemis are right. We can't take any chances. We need to revive the Scouts.  
"Prince Endymion, you must return to Earth and try to keep Queen Beryl's forces at bay. The Sailor Scouts will need time to learn how to use their powers. Fortunately, that should take only one day. I believe you can hold off Queen Beryl for that long.  
"I will send as many soldiers as I can spare from the palace's defenses. For now, this is the best I can do. I need to work on strengthening our defenses here. You must hurry. The Earth needs you."  
"Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask. I would like Prince Ryoku to assist me in Earth's defense. Since I must depart for Earth immediately, could you ask him for me?" Endymion asked.  
Queen Serenity nodded. "Certainly, Endymion. I shall have him join you as soon as possible."  
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Endymion said, bowing gratefully.  
"Of course, Endymion. I wish you good luck. Take care of yourself." As Endymion left, Naru turned to follow him. "Naru, could you wait a moment? I need you to perform a task for me."  
"Of course, Your Majesty," Naru said, bowing respectfully.  
"Thank you, Naru. Would you please ask Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto and Ryoku to come here at once?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty," Naru replied and hurried to summon the prince and princesses.  
  
Ryoku could not believe his good luck. He had somehow managed to keep  
  
Ami's company throughout the ball. Noticing the sly look that his sister gave him earlier, he figured that she had probably told the others and that no one was going to interrupt his time with Ami. He gave Makoto a mental thank-you for that.  
Near to the end of the ball, he decided to follow Endymion's example and suggested a walk through the palace's garden. Ami agreed and followed as he led the way. They were sitting on the benches together, talking, when Naru ran up to them.  
"Princess Ami, Prince Ryoku, Queen Serenity wants the two of you to come to the throne room at once. Princess Rei, Princess Makoto, and Princess Minako are already there. Please hurry," Naru said. She then turned around and went back they way she came.  
After watching Naru leave, Ryoku turned to Ami. She seemed just as perplexed as he was. "I wonder what that was all about?" he asked her.  
"I'm not sure," she said, rising from the bench, "but we should hurry. I have a feeling it's not good news."  
Ryoku nodded his agreement. "You may be right about that, Ami. Let's go."  
  
When Ryoku and Ami arrived at the throne room with Naru, everyone turned to watch them enter. Naru gave a small bow to Queen Serenity and left. The speculative looks the other three princesses were giving Ryoku and Ami were  
  
enough to make both of them slightly uncomfortable.  
"So, what were you two doing that took you so long to get here, hmm?" Rei asked in an insinuating tone. The knowing expression on her face was mirrored on both Minako's and Makoto's faces as well.  
"Um... we were just talking in the palace garden when Naru came and informed us that Queen Serenity wanted to see us," Ryoku said quickly.  
"You were just...," Makoto began, a smile growing on her face.  
"...talking?" Minako continued, a similar smile growing on her face as well.  
"Really?" Rei added, her smile matching the others'.  
"Do you three treat Serenity and Endymion this way, too?" Ryoku muttered, slightly annoyed.  
"Just you two," Minako replied, grinning childishly.  
"Yeah, you're more fun to tease than Endymion," Makoto told her brother teasingly.  
"Gee, aren't we lucky," Ryoku said sarcastically.  
"Why have you called us here, Your Majesty?" Ami asked, changing the subject. Ryoku gave her an appreciative grin.  
"I have some terrible news to tell all of you. From what Naru has told me, there is a grand scale invasion taking place on Earth as we speak," Queen Serenity said gravely.  
Each of the five in attendance was shocked silent. Ryoku's hand instinctively went to his sword and clutched it tightly in controlled anger.  
"Prince Endymion has already left for Earth to try to halt it, but he needs help," Queen Serenity continued. "Prince Ryoku, he has specifically requested your assistance and skill."  
"I would gladly help him in any way I can," Ryoku stated gravely.  
"Good. I want you to take half of the palace's defense forces down to Earth with you. I have already sent orders for them to follow you to Earth, so you can leave for Earth as soon as they are ready."  
"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied solemnly.  
"Now, as for why I have called you four here," Queen Serenity said turning to the four princesses, "I shall let Luna and Artemis explain." As soon as the queen was finished, the two cat advisors stepped forward.  
"From the information Naru has given us, the invaders follow the orders of someone named Queen Beryl," Artemis began. "Her forces are very strong. They have destroyed several cities already and have turned many of the Earth's population to their side against their will. The reinforcements Prince Ryoku is to take to Prince Endymion may not be enough."  
"It is for this reason that the decision has been made to revive the Sailor Scouts," Luna added. "The Sailor Scouts are the Moon Kingdom's last line of  
  
defense and may be needed if this invasion should spread beyond the Earth."  
"I don't understand, Luna," Minako said, confused. "What does all of this have to do with us?"  
"Each Scout is traditionally the princess of her respective planet. Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, it is your destiny and your duty to become the Sailor Scouts."  
"What???" the four princesses all exclaimed in unison.  
Noting the stunned disbelief that was obvious on the girls' faces, Ryoku asked the question that he was sure was in each of their minds. "How are they supposed to do that?"  
Suddenly, Luna leaped into the air, turned a somersault in mid-leap, and landed again. As she somersaulted in midair, four different colored pens appeared and dropped to the floor in front of her. "This is how," she said, looking intently at each of the four princesses.  
As Ryoku glanced over each pen, he noticed that each one also had a different symbol on it, one for each planet. The red pen had the symbol for Mars; that was most likely for Rei. The orange pen had the symbol of Venus; that should belong to Minako. The blue pen had the symbol of Mercury; that one must be Ami's. The green pen had the familiar symbol of Jupiter; that one would belong to his sister, Makoto.  
"These are your transformation pens. They will allow you to transform," Luna said.  
"So, how do these things work?" Minako asked as she and the others picked up their own transformation pen.  
"It's actually very simple," Artemis said. "Minako, you are Sailor Venus. In order to transform, hold up your transformation pen and shout 'Venus power, make up!'"  
"Right. Well, here we go," Minako said, holding up her transformation pen. "Venus power, make up!"  
A yellow light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to completely envelope Minako. Suddenly, the yellow light flashed brightly, then disappeared, revealing Minako clothed in an orange and white uniform with blue bows, one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with an orange stone in the center. "Hey, how do I look?" Sailor Venus said, playfully striking a dramatic pose.  
"Different," Ryoku said with an amused smile.  
"Hey, how about me?" Makoto asked excitedly.  
"You, Makoto, are Sailor Jupiter," Luna said. "All you have to do is hold up your pen and shout 'Jupiter power, make up!'"  
Makoto grinned widely as she held her pen up. "Here goes nothing. Jupiter power, make up!"  
A green light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to completely envelope Makoto. Suddenly, the green light flashed brightly, then disappeared, revealing Makoto clothed in a green and white uniform with pink bows, one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a green stone in the center. "All right! This is so cool!" Sailor Jupiter said enthusiastically.  
"Now, Rei, the power of Sailor Mars is yours. Hold your pen up and shout 'Mars power, make up!'" Artemis said.  
"All right, let's do it!" Rei said holding up her transformation pen. "Mars power, make up!"  
A red light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to completely envelope Rei. Suddenly, the red light flashed brightly, then disappeared, revealing Rei clothed in a red and white uniform with purple bows, one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a red stone in the center. "This is incredible!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.  
"Finally, Ami, hold up your pen and shout 'Mercury power, make up!' in order to transform into Sailor Mercury."  
"Okay," Ami said, holding up her pen. "Mercury power, make up!"  
A blue light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to completely envelope Ami. Suddenly, the blue light flashed brightly, then disappeared, revealing Ami clothed in a blue and white uniform with light blue bows, one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a blue stone in the center. "Wow! This is amazing!" Sailor Mercury said, astounded.  
Queen Serenity smiled. "Now that you four have become the Sailor Scouts, Luna and Artemis will begin your training. It is important that you learn to use your powers. Now, hurry. We don't have much time."  
"Yes, Your Majesty," the four Sailor Scouts replied and proceeded to follow Luna and Artemis out of the room.  
"Good luck!" Ryoku shouted after them. In reply, all four waved at him and left.  
"Queen Serenity, if you'll excuse me, I am going to see if I can't help the soldiers complete their preparations a little bit faster," Ryoku said, after the girls left the room. "I shall inform you of when we are going to leave." Ryoku bowed deeply and turned to leave.  
"Ryoku," Queen Serenity called before he could leave.  
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked.  
"Please be careful and make sure Prince Endymion does the same. Serenity would be heartbroken if anything should happen to him."  
Ryoku nodded and smiled confidently. "Your wish is my command, Queen Serenity."  
  
General Sakurada lowered her binoculars. After seeing them massive army she was about to confront, she was beginning to worry about her chances for  
  
keeping the upcoming skirmish from becoming a rout of her troops. 'Not very good odds in my opinion, but until Prince Endymion arrives with reinforcements there is no other alternative. Hopefully, I can at least slow them down.'  
Sakurada looked over her surroundings. There were a few hills, like the one she was on, but the area was mostly plains. She would be able to see the enemy easily, but it would be the same for them as well. They had the advantage in strength and, most likely, experience. All her army had was the determination to oppose the ones who destroyed their homes, their friends and their loved ones. 'If only that were enough...,' she thought and sighed.  
Queen Beryl's forces were about twenty minutes from reaching them. Wearily, Sakurada placed her hand unconsciously on the sheathed sword at her side as she descended from the hill. Her troops were waiting patiently for her; some of them, impatiently. As soon as she reached the bottom, her subordinates approached, ready to receive her orders.  
"The enemy should arrive in approximately twenty minutes. Make sure everyone is ready," she told them. They each wordlessly saluted and left to carry out her order.  
When the last of her subordinates returned and reported that everyone was ready, Sakurada silently nodded and turned her gaze to the south. She could see the first wave of invaders approaching at a run.  
'It is time,' she thought as she drew her sword. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of several swords being drawn. Holding her sword tightly, she raised it straight into the air. "Ready?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her troops behind her shouted a deafening affirmative. The enemy was closing in quickly. There was only five hundred yards before they would be upon them. 'For our peace,' she thought reverently as she swung her sword to where it was now pointing at the charging horde.  
"Charge!" she cried out challengingly.  
Almost as one, her entire army charged to meet the enemy. Within moments the air was filled with the sounds of clashing swords, battle cries and screams of death.  
Although her soldiers were fighting with all their heart, they were still outmatched in skill. Only their determination and fervor kept the battle from becoming a slaughter.  
She quickly jumped backwards as her opponent's sword came within inches from slicing off her head. 'That was too close. These fiends fight with incredible skill. I only hope the Moon's reinforcements will be enough....' She dodged another swipe of the enemy's blade by jumping to the right and rolling to safety. Quickly getting to her feet, she lunged at her foe, only to overreach and completely miss, leaving herself open for a sword thrust through her back.  
As she regained her balance, she was surprised by the fact that she wasn't dead. 'That kind of mistake is usually certain death. I should've been dead. How...,' she wondered as she turned to face her enemy again. The answer came to her when she saw that her foe had been run through by one of her soldiers.  
"You should be more careful, General," the soldier chided. "A mistake like that...." He was cutoff when Sakurada shoved him aside and plunged her sword through the chest of another enemy soldier.  
"You were saying?" she asked in amusement as she removed her sword from the lifeless body.  
"No one's perfect," he replied, as he got to his feet and shrugged. "Now, shall we continue?"  
"We might as well," Sakurada said, nodding gravely. 'I hope the others are faring better than I am....'  
  
"Just my luck," General Nagashima muttered as he lowered his binoculars.  
"What is it, General?" one of his subordinates asked.  
"I have good news and bad news," Nagashima said. "Your choice."  
"Good news first," said the same person.  
"The good news is that we only have four opponents."  
"I have a feeling I'm not going to like the bad news," another subordinate muttered under her breath.  
Nagashima ignored her remark. "The bad news is that these four are giant beast-like monsters. Now doesn't that sound like fun?"  
All of his subordinates simply groaned.  
"I didn't think so. Prepare the men. They'll be here in fifteen minutes."  
As his order was carried out, he turned his gaze to the western horizon. Already he could see the four great beasts heading this way. Each beast was easily one and a half times the height of a man. Needless to say, these monsters were going to be tough to beat, even though they were greatly outnumbered. 'Many of my men aren't going to make it through today,' he thought sadly. 'I may not like it, but I have to do it. I have to stall them.' Just as the monstrous beasts began to close in, Nagashima signaled his men to charge.  
Several soldiers charged the lion-beast, only to miss as it leapt over most of them and landed on two others, crushing them. It then turned and pounced on two more, raking them over with huge razor-sharp claws. As others tried to attack the lion-beast, it either dodged their slashing swords, or simply batted them away with its huge paws.  
The ones fight the dragon-beast weren't doing any better. Its flaming breath kept anyone from getting close to it and its tail took care of anyone who managed to evade its flames.  
The bull-beast's horns were bloody after goring one soldier after another. Its movements were deliberate, but it was still fast enough to avoid a fair amount of attacks. The bull-beast's thick skin was enough to make those attacks that did succeed seem like mere scratches.  
The scorpion-beast's skin was like armor. It simply stood still as several soldiers hacked away at it, with little result. After a short time it lashed out with its tail and claws, making short work of its opposition.  
Nagashima's troops were slowly beginning to do some damage to the four beasts, but he was losing too many men, and quickly. A sudden movement away  
  
from the battle to the south caught his attention. Looking through his binoculars, he could see another battle taking place only a few miles away. Also, it was slowly coming his way. 'That must be Sakurada's group over there. I wonder how she's doing? Probably better than us.' He could hear some of his men shouting something, but he couldn't make it out. 'Where is Prince Endymion with those reinforcements? We can't keep this up much....'  
Nagashima was interrupted mid-thought when he was suddenly tackled from behind. He realized too late that his men were shouting a warning for him. As he felt what must have been the lion-beast's claws rip through his back, drawing vast amounts of blood, his last thought was a self-reprimand chiding himself for not paying attention to what was happening around him. A mistake that had cost him his life.  
  
General Akiyama almost dropped her binoculars in shock when she saw what was heading her way. 'Is this what has happened to the people who were taken against their will?' she thought as she stared in horror at the grotesquely twisted forms that were once her people. Some were more deformed than others, ranging from only slightly discolored to hideously warped beyond recognition.  
"I hate to do this, but we must destroy them," Akiyama said sadly, lowering her binoculars. She continued to stare to the northeast. "They are no longer human; only monsters." Behind her, her subordinates nodded solemnly.  
Fortunately, there were only a thousand of them. She had several thousand. That should be enough to stop them. Giving the order to prepare the troops, she drew her sword and waited. When her men were ready she gave the order to charge.  
At first, it seemed as though the two sides were evenly matched. Occasionally, a monster would be defeated, but usually at the cost of several of her soldiers. As the battle continued, more of her men were dying than the enemy.  
Akiyama suddenly found herself facing a monster on her own. It had a short blade for a left arm, a whip for a right arm, and an evil grin on its face. Its huge yellow eyes were staring straight at hers.  
Quickly, she raised her sword to defend herself, but it used its whip- arm to bind her hands together. As the monster advanced, raising its blade-arm to strike her, Akiyama struggled to free herself and failed. The monster swung its blade-arm straight for her head. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the killing blow.  
The blow never came.  
Opening her eyes, she saw that before the blade-arm could touch her, one of her men had blocked it with his sword, while another stabbed it through the back, his blade coming out the monster's front. The soldier who had blocked the now lifeless monster's attack quickly severed the whip binding her hands.  
"Are you all right, General?" he asked, concerned.  
"Yes, thank you," she replied, relieved that she was still alive. "Now, let's get back to the battle."  
As the day started to fade, Akiyama began to realize that her troops wouldn't be able to hold off the enemy for much longer. 'Prince Endymion needs all the help he can get to fight these evil fiends. Continuing this fight will just waste lives.' "All right, everyone," Akiyama began after gathering all of her remaining subordinates, "we've stalled them long enough. I'm ordering a full retreat. Gather as many of the wounded you can. Don't try to save those that cannot be saved. Now, hurry!"  
As she made a quick estimate of her army's fighting strength, she was  
  
disheartened to learn that almost half of her men were either dead or severely wounded and had to be carried. The fact that close to half the enemy was also dead was a very small consolation.  
  
After defeating six or seven of the enemy, Sakurada had begun to think that they weren't as tough as she had originally thought they were. Their power only seemed to be in numbers.  
She quickly glanced around to take a rough estimate of how many of her troops were left. There were many dead enemies, but the number of her men dead was greater. Daunted, she turned to face her next opponent, only to realize that they were slowly moving to the north. In the distance, she could see another battle taking place. 'That's Nagashima's army!'  
Confronting and dispatching another foe, she quickly rushed to where the other battle was taking place. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw what they were fighting. There were four gigantic beasts attacking Nagashima's army. Each one was bloody, but they seemed to be only slightly injured. 'I bet that's human blood,' not monster, Sakurada thought angrily.  
Suddenly, the bull-beast spotted her and charged directly at her. She could see its horns dripping blood, glistening in the fading sunlight. She held her ground, waiting for the beast to come closer. Moments before it could impale her with its huge horns, she leaped to one side, slashing at its legs as it passed. The attack was enough to cripple the beast. Immediately, several soldiers fell upon the fallen beast, stabbing and hacking away at it. It managed to injure a few soldiers before it finally stopped moving.  
'We've spent enough time here today,' Sakurada thought, searching for  
  
Nagashima. 'It's time to go.' As she began to give orders to gather her men for a retreat, one of Nagashima's subordinates came to her, carrying Nagashima's body. From the look of his torn body, he must have bled to death.  
Quickly issuing orders for Nagashima's army to gather and retreat as well, Sakurada looked back at the chaos that was taking place behind her. "We may be retreating for now, but this isn't over yet," she said coldly. They may have taken heavy losses, but at least they had bought some time for Prince Endymion to bring help. Hopefully, it would be enough to stop these evil fiends. If not, then they were as good as dead.  
"This has only just begun."  
  
Jadeite watched as the defending forces retreated. "Well, it seems that these humans can put up a good fight after all," he said, amused. Looking over what remained of his army, he estimated that about half was dead. "Well, that doesn't matter," he said, gathering the energy he had gained during the battle. "With this much energy, Queen Beryl should be able to revive Queen Metallia very soon."  
As soon as he had gathered all of the energy, he sent it to Queen Beryl. "If only those foolish humans knew that their battling was only aiding their enemies in achieving their final victory!" he said, laughing at the thought.  
If only they knew....  
  
Nephrite frowned as he saw the remains of the bull-beast. "Worthless beast," he muttered. "Not that I needed all four. Now to regenerate the others and collect their gathered energy."  
Slowly, the three remaining injured beasts were healed. After they were healed, Nephrite began to drain them of the energy they gathered from the deaths of the numerous humans that they had slain. A giant ball of energy formed between his hands. Now to send this to Queen Beryl. The energy ball quickly disappeared.  
Nephrite contemplated on whether he should revive the bull-beast. 'There's no need. It did its job. If it was stupid enough to get itself killed, then it is of no further use to me.'  
So far, the plan was going according to schedule. The humans would get their short respite. Tomorrow, they would be crushed.  
Nephrite smiled in anticipation.  
  
Zoisite and Kunzite watched as the humans retreated. "It's a shame that Queen Beryl wanted us to let the humans retreat. In a few more hours, they would have all been totally destroyed," Zoisite complained.  
"I agree, Zoisite, but Queen Beryl wants the humans energy more than their destruction at the moment," Kunzite said. "The energy we've been gathering from the humans has been waning. The humans need time to restore their energy. When we face them tomorrow, we will gather the rest of their energy and crush them!"  
"Hmm, yes. I'm looking forward to it," Zoisite said.  
"I am, as well. Now, let's gather the energy we've collected for Queen Beryl," Kunzite replied. A huge energy sphere appeared between Zoisite and Kunzite and began to grow. After growing to its maximum size, it disappeared, on its way to Queen Beryl.  
"Tomorrow, humans," Kunzite said with a malicious grin on his face. "Tomorrow, you will meet your doom!"  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	5. Chapter 4: A Promise Made

Chapter 4: A Promise Made  
  
It was early the next morning when Endymion arrived on Earth. Ryoku arrived two hours later, but he brought with him the reinforcements that Queen Serenity had promised Endymion.  
Endymion was meeting with his two remaining generals when Ryoku arrived. Ryoku was greeted with barely contained relief by the two generals. "Prince Ryoku, you're here!" Sakurada exclaimed. "Wonderful! Prince Endymion told us you would be bringing reinforcements from the Moon."  
Ryoku grinned at the sight of the general. During his stay on the Earth, he had learned a lot about strategy from her. Occasionally, when Endymion was busy and she wasn't, he would practice swordplay with her. Although she was a good friend, he could never get her to stop calling him by his title.  
"I've brought with me half of the Moon Palace's defense forces," Ryoku replied. "Prince Endymion, I now turn these men over to you. I am at your command," he stated formally and bowed.  
Endymion nodded gravely. "There isn't much time. Queen Beryl's forces may attack again very soon." He looked at Ryoku, then at Sakurada, and finally at Akiyama. "We need a plan."  
"We've lost a lot of men and one of our best generals," Akiyama reported, her tone neutral. "The enemy has lost a lot of their numbers as well, although not as many as we have. They're very strong and fierce fighters."  
"The reinforcements Prince Ryoku has brought with him may be what we need to tip the odds in our favor," Sakurada added. "Prince Endymion has told us that Queen Serenity has decided to revive the Sailor Scouts of legend. Is this true, Prince Ryoku?"  
"Yes, Queen Serenity has revived the Sailor Scouts," he answered, nodding. "I have seen them myself. As we speak, they are learning how to use their new powers. They should be ready to assist us by tomorrow."  
"That's good to hear, but we still have these three armies to deal with," Endymion replied.  
"Actually, Prince Endymion," Sakurada interrupted, "as I retreated from yesterday's battle with the remainder of both my army and Nagashima's army, the two forces we were battling were beginning to fight as one huge force. We can divide the reinforcements in half instead of dividing it three ways."  
He nodded absently, frowning in concentration as he began to form a plan. "Where are these two armies now?"  
"The army Sakurada fought is now to the southwest," Akiyama answered.  
  
"The one I fought is to the northwest."  
"They're pretty close together," Ryoku observed. "It might be possible to try to force the two armies into one single force and surround them. We should have enough men."  
"That might work as long as they don't receive too many reinforcements," Endymion replied. "We have to assume that they will be getting reinforcements as well."  
"I think it'll work," Akiyama said. "How about you, Sakurada?"  
"Prince Endymion has a point," Sakurada replied, "but unfortunately, we can't predict by how much our enemy's number will rise. Prince Ryoku does have a good idea, though."  
"Yes, I think so, too," Endymion agreed. "General Sakurada's right. We can't predict our enemy's numbers, so I think we should go with Ryoku's idea.  
"Ryoku," he continued, turning to him, "I want you and General Sakurada to take half of our men and try to force the southwestern army to the north. General Akiyama and I will take the rest of the men and try to force the northwestern army to the south. Make sure to watch for us; we'll be doing the same. When we're close enough, give the order to surround the enemy. If we're lucky, we should be able to completely encircle them." He glanced at everyone in turn. "Everyone understand the plan?" They all nodded their agreement. "Good. Now, let's get ready. General Sakurada, Ryoku, good luck to the both of you."  
"Thank you, Prince Endymion," Sakurada replied, as she and Ryoku prepared to leave. "Good luck to you and Akiyama as well."  
"Yeah, good luck you two," Ryoku added encouragingly.  
"Thanks," Endymion and Akiyama said.  
"Let's go let the men in on our plan," Sakurada said heading towards the camp.  
"I'm with you," Ryoku replied as he followed her. "Let's hope this plan works."  
  
Back on the Moon Palace, the four Sailor Scouts were pushing themselves hard to learn how to control their new powers as quickly as possible. They were in a training room that was primarily used for training the Palace's defense forces. Now it was converted for their use.  
Sailor Mars put her hands together in front of her. "Fire...," she began, as a small fireball appeared at her fingertips. "...soul!" The small fireball suddenly grew into a larger one and shot out straight in front of her. Too late, she realized that her fireball was heading straight for Sailor Jupiter.  
Sailor Jupiter saw the fireball coming and quickly dove out of the way. "Hey, Mars! Watch where you shoot that thing!" Jupiter shouted as she came to her feet.  
"Sorry about that," Mars said apologetically. "I guess I need a little more practice."  
Jupiter smiled reassuringly. "That's all right. Just try not to roast me again, okay?" Mars just grimaced sheepishly.  
Sailor Jupiter turned to face the giant stone that the Scouts had been using for target practice. Whenever a stone was destroyed, another would be put in its place. This stone was the seventh since they had started.  
She crossed her arms across her chest. "Supreme...," she began, as a small lightning rod emerged from her tiara and lightning bolts began to descend from the sky and gather into her tiara's lightning rod. "...thunder!" The gathered lightning shot out from her tiara, hitting the stone target and putting several cracks in it.  
Sailor Venus also decided to take a shot at the target. She extended her arm towards the stone target, her index finger pointing forward. "Crescent...," she began, as energy began to gather at the point of her finger. "...beam!" A solid yellow beam shot out from her finger, hitting the target right where Sailor Jupiter first hit it and putting even more cracks in the target.  
"One more time?" Jupiter suggested.  
"Sure thing, Jupiter," Venus replied. "Crescent...."  
"Supreme...."  
"...beam!"  
"...thunder!"  
Once again, Jupiter and Venus aimed for the same spot. This time, Jupiter's lightning bolts combined with Venus's energy beam. When the combined attack hit the stone, it exploded instead of crumbling like it usually did. "Hey, that was pretty cool!" Jupiter said approvingly. "Looks like we're going to need another one."  
Sailor Mercury held her arms out in front of her. "Shabon...," she began, as several bubbles began to appear between her hands. She moved her hands to where her wrists were now crossed. "...spray!" She flung her hands apart, sending the bubbles flying in front of her. Instantly, a thick fog covered the area, making it near to impossible to see anything within one foot's distance.  
"Neat trick, Mercury," Venus said.  
"As long as the enemy can't see us, it stands to reason that they shouldn't be able to hit us, either," Mercury stated.  
"Yeah, but we can't see, either," Mars complained.  
"Oh. I guess I still need to work on it a bit," Mercury said, daunted.  
"You're doing a great job so far, girls," Artemis said enthusiastically, "just keep it up!" He and Luna were watching from a safe distance, offering support and advise. Mostly, they were just trying to keep out of their line of fire.  
"Prince Endymion and Prince Ryoku might need your help soon," Luna said. "The four of you must be ready before then."  
"We'll so our best, Luna, Artemis," Mars answered. "You can count on that." The other three Scouts each nodded in agreement and continued their training exercises.  
Artemis looked to Luna with a worried expression on his face. "Well, Luna, what do you think?" he asked. "Will they be enough to help save the Earth? After all, they are missing one Scout."  
"Yes, that's true," Luna said in a contemplative tone. "We can only hope that they're all we need."  
"But, what if they're not enough? What if they aren't strong enough?"  
Luna was silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed and turned to Artemis. "Those are good questions, Artemis. Hopefully, we will never have to answer those questions." Luna paused and shook her head worriedly, before turning back to Artemis. "I'm not even sure there is an answer."  
  
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Ryoku and Sakurada were preparing to execute their part of the plan. It was almost noon when they had moved into position to the enemy's east. Now they were waiting for the right moment to strike. Fortunately, they had remained undetected as they slowly marched to the northeast, past them.  
Ryoku drew his sword and examined it thoughtfully. "Today will be the first time I use this thing to kill," he said somberly. "Tell me, General Sakurada... how did you feel, having to kill another, even though doing so was the only way to save your home?"  
"The truth?" she asked. He nodded. "Even though it was 'to save my home,' as you put it, I hated it. Killing's something you don't want to ever have to do." She unconsciously put her hand on her sword's hilt and sighed. "Sometimes, in cases like this, you don't really have a choice."  
"I see," he said in an even tone, sheathing his sword.  
"Oh, I'm beginning to depress you even more, aren't I, Prince Ryoku?" she asked, frowning slightly.  
"A little, but I do see your point," he replied quietly and decided that a change in subject was in order. "You know, you don't have to keep addressing me as 'Prince' Ryoku, General Sakurada. Just Ryoku would be fine. I won't be offended," he added with a grin.  
"It means that much to you for me just to call you Ryoku?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Well, you are a friend. Besides, it seems so impersonal to hear people address me that way. I prefer just... Ryoku."  
"All right, but on one condition."  
"Which is?"  
"That as long as I have to call you Ryoku, you have you call me Haruna," she said, smiling.  
"It's a deal... Haruna," he agreed, smiling as well.  
As he looked out to the northern horizon, he could see that the enemy was almost in position. He slowly redrew his sword at waited. Sakurada also drew her sword and waited.  
He glanced back at her. "It's almost time." She simply nodded her agreement.  
He glanced at the sword in her hand. "Is that the sword I've seen on the wall in your office back at the palace?"  
She glanced down to her sword and nodded. "Yeah, it's the same one."  
"It's almost exactly like my sword, except for the insignias and the hilts," he said. "Can I see your sword for a moment?"  
"All right," she agreed, handing him her sword. He swung the sword a few times, to get a feel for the sword. Then, he picked up his sword in his other hand and began to swing both at once, performing complex moves with both swords. She just watched in amazement.  
"You truly are one of the best swordsmen in the Moon Kingdom," she murmured as he returned her sword to her.  
"Your sword feels just like mine," he said in a contemplative tone. "The weight and balance are exactly the same."  
She just nodded and resumed watching the enemy army. "They should be," she said without turning from what she was watching. "Your sword was made from the same design as my sword."  
"It was?" he asked, blinking in surprise.  
"Ryoku, they're in position," she said, cutting short that conversation.  
He nodded, then grinned maliciously. "Ready to send them back to Queen Beryl?"  
She grinned as well. "Ready."  
"Then, let's give the order to march."  
Ryoku and Sakurada hurried back to where their soldiers were waiting. The order was given and the army was on the move. They moved as quickly as possible, so their surprise would last as long as possible. The invading army was slow in realizing that they were being charged at, but eventually they prepared themselves to meet the attack. As the first ranks of each side met, chaos quickly ensued as blade met blade.  
It became apparent that Queen Beryl did send some additional men to replace some of the ones that were killed yesterday, but not all of them. Ryoku began to wonder why that was, when suddenly, the three remaining beasts charged from the sides, each one taking down several of his troops.  
He found himself separated from Sakurada and confronted by the scorpion- beast. Since its skin was marred by deep scratching caused by numerous blows from the swords of the Earth's forces, he could see where those imperfections in its armor-like skin could act like weak points where he could strike.  
He quickly dived to the left as it thrust its claw towards where his chest had been. He rolled as he landed, avoiding the strike from the stinger on its tail. When he came to his feet, he found himself being backed into a nearby tree as he tried to avoid the swipes of its claws and tail. He noticed that he was now trapped against the tree with its claws to either side of him and its tail above him. As the tail slowly rose in preparation to strike him down, he saw that he had only one choice left.  
He dived forward, towards the beast.  
The beast's tail struck the tree where his head was only moments ago, with enough force to break the tree in half. He dived forward, his sword extended in front of him, and plunged his sword into the back of the scorpion beast, through one of the deep scratches on its back. It writhed in pain for a few moments and then fell still. That's one down, two to go, he thought and went to go find Sakurada.  
When Ryoku located Sakurada, she and a small group of their men were trying to kill the lion-beast. From the amount of mangled corpses that weren't that far from them, he could see that they were having at hard time doing so.  
He decided to charge the beast, while simultaneously giving the scene a scrutinizing glance. 'Haruna and two other soldiers: unhurt. Another soldier: slightly wounded, but his sword-arm is unhurt. The last two: heavy wounds, but their  
  
fighting doesn't seem to be affected... too much.'  
As Ryoku closed in on the beast, it suddenly leaped forward, causing him to miss the beast by inches. The beast lunged at one of the heavily wounded soldiers, tearing at his chest and killing him. It then quickly spun towards to other heavily wounded soldier, slashing at one of his legs, causing him to fall on his side. Before it could use its fangs to rip out his throat, the others slashed at it, causing damage, but not crippling it. It swiftly leaped away from the others towards Ryoku, who was now rushing towards it.  
He quickly jumped to meet the beast midair. It took a swipe at him in passing, which was deflected by his sword. Before passing the beast completely, he executed a quick turn midair and sliced off the beast's left hind paw.  
Upon landing, Ryoku quickly darted for the beast, ready to dispatch it. Joined by Sakurada and the others, he quickly made short work of the beast.  
"Now, there's one more to go," Ryoku said with satisfaction.  
"What happened, Ryoku?" Sakurada demanded worriedly, her arms folded.  
  
"One minute you were there and the next minute you're gone. I thought we were supposed to guard each other's backs?"  
"I don't know what happened," he replied, shrugging. "All I know is after losing sight of you, I was attacked by that scorpion-beast. As soon as I took care of it, I came looking for you."  
One of the soldiers turned to Ryoku in surprise. "You took down that thing by yourself?"  
"Um, yeah... I guess," Ryoku said, nodding.  
"I guess you are as good as they say," another soldier added.  
"Thanks, I guess," he replied, then jerked back in surprise. "Look out!" he shouted, shoving a soldier away from a slashing blow to the head by one of Queen Beryl's troops. Sakurada promptly stabbed the invader through the chest.  
"Thanks, Haruna. I owe you one," Ryoku said gratefully.  
"Just watching your back," she replied offhandedly. "Come on. The battle's not over yet. Look over there."  
Ryoku looked to where she was pointing. In the distance, he could see  
  
another battle taking place. "That must be Endymion's and General Akiyama's group over there."  
"Do you think we're close enough?" she asked.  
"I suppose so," he replied, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Let's go meet them, shall we?"  
  
It was barely past noon when Endymion and Akiyama were in position to  
  
attack their enemies. A cursory assessment of the enemy's strength told them that there wasn't a major increase in their numbers since Akiyama's retreat. On the other hand, the increase wasn't small either.  
Endymion slowly rose to his feet from the spot he had been watching Queen Beryl's army from. A small wind blew, gently stirring the cape he usually wore with his armor. Finally, he broke his gaze away from the advancing army and turned to Akiyama, who was waiting patiently to one side.  
"They aren't as numerous as I thought they would be," Endymion said.  
"There aren't as many as there was yesterday," Akiyama explained. "With the additional men that you and Prince Ryoku brought with you, they shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Those monsters fight viciously, though. You must be careful."  
Endymion glanced at her and grinned politely. "Don't worry so much. I'm not about to let them get away with what they have done to my people. I intend to stay alive so I can make them pay, personally," he said in a menacing tone.  
Akiyama drew her sword and looked to Endymion. "We are ready to charge on your order, my Prince."  
Endymion also drew his sword. He glanced at the engraved rose on the hilt of his sword. Immediately he was reminded of Serenity. 'I should've told her what was going on down here, but I didn't have the time. Queen Serenity would be too busy organizing the Palace's defenses in case I should fail to stop the invasion. She wouldn't have the time to tell her, either. The other princesses were busy learning their new powers as Sailor Scouts, so they wouldn't have the time to tell her, either. I hope when she finds out about what's happening down here, she'll understand why I didn't have the time to tell her.'  
"Prince Endymion, are you all right?" Akiyama asked, concerned.  
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Endymion asked, glancing up from his sword.  
"You were just staring at your sword for a long time," she said.  
"Oh. I was just thinking, that's all," he replied. "Now it's time to face the enemy. Are the men prepared?"  
"Yes, my Prince."  
"Good. Then give the order to charge."  
The order was given and the army surged forward, readying themselves to meet their adversaries head-on.  
As the fighting raged on, they slowly pushed to the south as planned.  
  
Endymion had faced several of the monsters, either by himself or with assistance, and had never taken more than a scratch. Akiyama had also faced her share of the monsters as well, though she usually had assistance from her soldiers.  
A lanky, feline-like monster suddenly confronted Endymion as he turned from his last opponent. It had a long, thin tail and sharp claws on hand and foot. Its eyes were completely yellow. It hissed at him, showing long, wickedly sharp fangs.  
Without warning, it struck out at him, slashing at his mid-section. Endymion jumped back, barely dodging the razor sharp claws, and performed a slashing attack of his own. It leaped out of the way quickly and attacked again.  
Its speed and reflexes were very quick. Endymion knew he couldn't beat it alone. He turned and ran towards a group of his men, who had just killed a snakelike creature, and called for assistance. They immediately rushed to his aid, surrounding the creature and circling it warily.  
The creature angrily lashed out at one of the soldiers, who dodged out of the way. Endymion saw an opening and swung at its head. It saw the attack just moments before connecting and leaped back. He missed its head, but managed to take off one of its paws. The others tried to do the same, but most of them missed, some by wide margins. A few blows actually managed to wound the feline slightly, slowing it down. The creature still managed to take down a few of its assailants, but it was beginning to receive more and more wounds as it slowed. After a long, drawn out battle, Endymion finally delivered the fatal blow, carving a deep wound in its chest.  
Endymion thanked his troops for their help and quickly set off to find Akiyama. Before she left him, he had told her to see if she could locate Ryoku and Sakurada's army.  
He didn't have far to go when he saw Akiyama waving for him to join her. "Did you see them?" he asked.  
"Yes, Prince Endymion. They aren't very far away. In fact, you should be able to see them over there," she said, pointing to the south. "They seem to be doing all right."  
Endymion smiled. This might just work after all. "Good. Then lets proceed with the plan. It's time to give Queen Beryl's men a fight they won't soon forget!"  
  
'And I always thought that the prince fighting the evil dragon was only fairy tale stuff...,' Ryoku thought sardonically as he, Sakurada and a group of soldiers faced off against the last of the four beasts: the dragon-beast.  
The beast's fire-breath kept them from coming close enough to strike while it continued to lash out with its tail and claws. It had already incinerated several soldiers, leaving only charred remains. The remaining soldiers kept a safe distance away from it, dodging its attacks, and waited for an opportunity to counterattack.  
"This is getting us nowhere," Ryoku muttered. "I'm going to distract it. Everyone else, get ready."  
"You sure about this?" Sakurada asked.  
"Not really," he replied and ran straight for the giant creature. Immediately, it swiped at him with its claws. When he leaped out of the way, it shot a blast of flame from its mouth straight at him. He felt the searing heat come way too close to him as he rolled to one side.  
While he was busy dodging the assault, the others tried to attack the beast from behind. Before it could turn around, they had managed to do serious damage to its back and tail, hampering its movements. It couldn't move as fast as before, but it still could use its claws and fire-breath as weapons.  
"That only crippled it a little," she said, after avoiding a blast of its fire-breath.  
"Well then," Endymion said, as he and Akiyama appeared with some more  
  
soldiers, "let's try it again."  
"Prince Endymion!" Sakurada shouted.  
"How good of you to join us," Ryoku added, grinning. "Care to help us with this minor problem?"  
"Glad to," Endymion said, as he and the rest of his group joined in the attack. Now that there were even more targets to fend of, in addition to its crippling wounds, the beast was having a harder time keeping them away.  
As Ryoku continued to serve as decoy, Akiyama managed to sneak up behind the dragon-beast and finish severing the beast's tail. As the creature howled in pain, Endymion took the opportunity to aim for its arms, taking off both of its claws. As it was about to open its mouth to generate a blast of fire, Ryoku quickly lunged for the beast and thrust his sword through the beast's jaw at an angle, preventing it from opening its mouth. Now that it was stripped of its defenses, everyone quickly rushed in to finish off the monster.  
"Well," Ryoku began, removing his sword from the beast's jaw when it stopped moving, "that's the last one."  
"Now that that's taken care of, we'd better join the rest of our troops." Endymion added. "We've still got a battle to win."  
"Maybe you should think again," a voice said behind them. As they turned in the direction of the voice, Endymion, Ryoku, Sakurada and Akiyama suddenly found themselves facing four figures, each dressed in the same strange dark gray uniform.  
"Who are you?" Endymion demanded.  
"Fair enough question," the silver-haired man answered. "As well you should know the names of the ones who will destroy you."  
"I am Jadeite," the one furthest to the left said. He had short, blond hair and a condescending smirk on his face.  
'Let's see...,' Ryoku thought as he scrutinized each opponent. 'He may be a good fighter, but he's arrogant, perhaps even overconfident.'  
"I am Nephrite," the next one to the right said. He had long, dark brown hair and a furious look on his face.'  
'I bet he was the one who was in charge of those beasts. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be someone who lets his emotions cloud his thinking.'  
"I am Zoisite," the female said. She had long, blond hair and wore a malicious smile.  
'She may be dangerous, perhaps even unpredictable. Definitely someone to be cautious around.'  
"And I am Kunzite," the silver-haired man finished. His silver hair was very long and his grin was as cold as his eyes.  
'This one is the most dangerous of all. No surprise that he's the leader. This guy is someone to be wary of at all times.'  
"We are Queen Beryl's four best Generals," Kunzite continued. "We've come to take over your world. After we have finished with you, then we shall lay waste to the Moon Palace and the rest of the Moon Kingdom for Queen Beryl!"  
"Conquer the Moon Kingdom?" Endymion exclaimed. 'This is worse than I  
  
thought, Endymion thought, his mind racing. I have to warn Queen Serenity! I have to warn... Serenity!' Endymion's eyes narrowed as he lifted his sword in a defensive position. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."  
"Do you really think you can stop us, cape-boy?" Zoisite sneered. "Who do you think you are to even challenge us?"  
"I am Endymion, Prince of Earth," Endymion stated defiantly. "You have invaded my home and attacked my people. For that, you and your Queen Beryl will be driven back to wherever you came from!" Endymion's last remark was vehemently seconded by the other three.  
"Is that so?" Jadeite said mockingly, sword appearing in his hand. "It looks like these foolish humans wish to fight us." One by one, the others also drew their swords.  
"If they want to waste their time trying, let them," Nephrite said contemptuously.  
"We might surprise you," Ryoku said nonchalantly. "You never know." He then pointed his sword straight at Nephrite. "He's mine."  
"I'll take care of that one," Sakurada said, gesturing to Jadeite.  
"She's mine," Akiyama said determinedly.  
"And the leader's mine," Endymion said, gripping the hilt of his sword very tightly.  
As they faced off against Beryl's four generals, Ryoku quickly glanced back at the battle being fought behind them. Their troops were still managing against Beryl's troops, but they were still losing more men than the enemy. He hoped that they wouldn't suddenly become overwhelmed within the next few hours, or else they wouldn't have much of a chance, even with the Sailor Scouts.  
A sword coming straight for his head quickly brought his attention back to where it belonged. With the ease only frequent practice could result, Ryoku quickly parried the attacked and countered with an attack of his own. Nephrite blocked the attack and responded with a second assault, which Ryoku dodged easily. "Not as easy as you thought, huh?" he taunted.  
"We'll see about that!" Nephrite challenged and began a series of attacks to Ryoku's head, chest, mid-section, and legs. Ryoku blocked each attack and tried to counterattack. He found it hard to land a blow on his opponent. He was quick with his sword... almost as fast as he was.  
Akiyama wasn't faring any better with Zoisite. The two women seemed to be evenly matched. Akiyama blocked a blow to the head and countered by trying to sweep Zoisite's legs out from under her. Zoisite leaped over her attack and landed behind her. "Is that the best you can do?" Zoisite asked derisively, turning to face Akiyama.  
As an answer, Akiyama rushed at her, quickly slashing at Zoisite's sides, inflicting minor wounds. "You haven't seen anything yet!" she said smugly.  
Endymion was slowly driving Kunzite back, although he had sustained a few minor cuts on his left arm and side. Kunzite had a long slice across his left leg and a few scratches across his chest.  
Endymion lunged at Kunzite, hoping to inflict a major, if not fatal, wound. Kunzite jumped out of the way, dodging the attack, and executed a lunge of his own. Caught off guard, Endymion leaped forward, somersaulted out of the way, and  
  
quickly got to his feet, ready to face Kunzite again.  
"Impressive, Endymion," Kunzite said. "I have underestimated your abilities, but now I will correct that mistake. Die, human!" Kunzite leaped at Endymion, sword over his head, and struck at Endymion's head. Endymion blocked the blow and  
  
countered by slashing at his side, inflicting another wound.  
"Not today!" Endymion retorted.  
Sakurada had managed to stay uninjured throughout her battle with Jadeite, while he had only a few minor injuries. She quickly swung her sword at his side, which he easily blocked. Jadeite tried to slash at her legs, but missed when she leaped away. "I thought this was going to be a challenge," she said, laughing. "You're not even half as skilled as I thought."  
She lunged at Jadeite, hoping to kill him. Instead, he dodged to one side, allowing her to run past him. When she did run past, Jadeite thrust his sword through her unprotected back. Her eyes widened in surprise as she fell to her knees, staring at the bloody point of the sword protruding from her chest.  
Ryoku was looking in Sakurada's direction when he saw Jadeite run his  
  
sword through her back. "Haruna!" he shouted and ran past Nephrite to her side.  
"You're right, you know," Jadeite sneered, removing his sword. "I'm not half as skilled as you thought. I'm twice as skilled!"  
Ryoku leaped at Jadeite with a powerful swing that forced him to leap away from Sakurada. "Haruna?"  
"Ryoku...," she said weakly, her eyes struggling to focus, "Ryoku... my sword."  
"Your sword?" he asked, picking up her sword and handing it to her. "What do you need your sword for? You're in no condition to continue fighting."  
"No...," she replied, pushing her sword weakly into Ryoku's hands, "my sword... Ryoku, please... take up my sword. Don't let... don't let them win. You must... help Prince Endymion... save Earth... and... Moon Kingdom...." She closed her eyes and breathed one last time. She was gone.  
"That's one dead," Jadeite said smugly, after watching her die. "How about you? Do you wish to go next?"  
"Haruna...," Ryoku whispered, clutching her sword tightly, "I promise you that I will do anything and everything that I can to stop these evil monsters from taking over the Earth and the Moon, just like you wanted. I promise you that you will not have died in vain. Rest in peace, my friend."  
Ryoku slowly rose to his feet, a sword in each hand, and turned to face a waiting Jadeite. "For what you have done," he said in a cold, furious tone, "you will pay!" He rushed at Jadeite and swung at him with both swords. Jadeite blocked one sword and quickly jumped out of the other's path.  
"So, you've decided to give up fighting me and picked a fight with Jadeite instead," Nephrite said. "I guess you realized you had no chance to win against me."  
"You think so?" Ryoku shouted. "Then why don't you both come at me and see who has no chance of beating whom?" As soon as he said it, he knew he was going to regret it. 'Since I've already gone this far, I might as well go all the way.' He took up a defensive stance with both swords in front of him. "Well, what are you waiting for? I, Prince Ryoku of Jupiter, challenge you!" 'Well, I'm in for it now....'  
"If this fool wants to fight us both," Nephrite said, an amused grin forming on his face, "then we shall make him regret it." At that, Jadeite and Nephrite charged at him simultaneously.  
Ryoku stood his ground and blocked both of their charges, each with one sword. After that, he was kept busy trying to deal with two opponents at once. He blocked Jadeite's sword while lashing out at Nephrite. He ducked under Nephrite's slash to the head while attacking Jadeite's mid-section.  
Although he was holding out okay, he had never fought against two opponents before. He was rapidly becoming exhausted and he was beginning to  
  
wish that he had never opened his big mouth. 'Looks like we were all right. I do regret it....'  
  
Endymion was so busy fighting Kunzite that he almost hadn't noticed that Queen Beryl's forces had broken through his ring of troops. He made a quick  
  
estimate of the enemy's strength and his army's own strength while dodging Kunzite continued assault.  
'This isn't good. They have several hundred more men than we have. Now that they have broken through the ring....' Endymion's thought was interrupted when a voice suddenly boomed out, "Jadeite! Nephrite! Zoisite! Kunzite! Return at once!"  
"But Queen Beryl, we haven't finished...," Kunzite began.  
"You question my orders?" Queen Beryl's voice asked angrily.  
"No, my Queen," Kunzite replied submissively. "This isn't over yet, Prince Endymion. We shall finish what we started."  
Almost at once, all of the enemy's army was gone. Only the dead were left behind. A cheer rose from the remaining soldiers. Despite their staggering losses, they had won. Endymion immediately went to find the others.  
He found Akiyama first, or rather she found him. Endymion noticed her sad expression and was about to ask her what happened when she gestured for him to follow her. As soon as he saw Ryoku's expression and Sakurada's body lying motionless on the ground, he realized what had happened.  
"We've won for now," Endymion said quietly, "but I have a feeling they'll return. With stronger forces." He looked towards the Moon, which was still low in the sky, but easily visible. "We need the Sailor Scouts. Now."  
  
Ryoku sat in the room he had used during his stay on Earth. It seemed like a lifetime ago, when he had begun his training here. The sword he wore during that time was laying next to him on the bed, but that wasn't the sword he was interested in.  
He had been staring at Sakurada's sword for a long time. He remembered how well she had handled it. He also remembered how well he had handled it,  
  
afterwards.  
The sword was his now. She had given it to him before she had died. He could still remember her last words very clearly: 'My sword... Ryoku, please... take up my sword. Don't let... don't let them win. You must... help Prince Endymion... save Earth... and... Moon Kingdom.' He also remembered the promise he had made to his deceased friend. No matter what, he would keep his promise to her.  
'I swear to you, Haruna, I will keep my promise or die trying!'  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	6. Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm  
  
Queen Beryl was not pleased. Her four Generals should have seized control of the Earth Palace by now. Instead, they were wasting their time playing with those worthless humans. Not only was she growing impatient, but they were also wasting precious energy.  
"So, Jadeite," Queen Beryl said in a quiet, menacing tone. "You have managed to lose a great number of my warriors to those humans. Even though you have destroyed a larger number of the humans, this loss is unacceptable."  
"Yes, Queen Beryl," Jadeite said, bowing deeply.  
"And you, Nephrite," she continued. "You lost all of your beasts. That kind of failure will not be tolerated in the future. Am I understood?"  
"Yes, Queen Beryl," Nephrite answered, also bowing deeply.  
"As for you two," she added, turning to Zoisite and Kunzite. "Turning the humans into warriors loyal only to the Dark Kingdom is a brilliant strategy, but you are using too much energy! We need to collect energy, not spend it! Our Master, Queen Metallia, has yet to be awakened!"  
"Yes, Queen Beryl," Zoisite and Kunzite both replied and bowed.  
Queen Beryl looked over each of her four Generals for a moment. She then moved her floating crystal ball out of the way and rose to her feet. "Wait here," was all she said to her Generals as she headed into another room.  
After hearing their reports, she decided that more drastic measures needed to be taken. That poor excuse for a queen, Serenity, was building up the Moon Palace's defenses. If she didn't hurry, taking over the Moon Kingdom and the universe would become considerably harder than she preferred. She hated wasting her time.  
There were some things of interest in the reports, though; namely, the two princes - Prince Ryoku of Jupiter and Prince Endymion of Earth. From what she had heard, they both had considerable fighting abilities. Perhaps they could be persuaded to join her side..  
Queen Beryl was now in the room that harnessed the essence of her Master, Queen Metallia, a dark wraith-like creature. Queen Beryl knelt before the apparition.  
"Oh, great Master," Beryl intoned, "I require your aid in destroying the forces of the Moon Kingdom. Grant me what I need!" The darkness in front of her pulsated as her master answered her in an ominous voice that filled the room.  
"SO, BERYL, YOU WERE UNABLE TO DEFEAT MEAGER HUMANS? YOU DISAPPOINT ME. I SUPPOSE YOU COULD HAVE DONE WORSE. NOW, HOW MUCH ENERGY HAVE YOU GATHERED?"  
Beryl gathered all the energy that her Generals had gathered throughout their assault and presented it to Metallia. "Here, my Master."  
"I AM SURPRISED, BERYL. I GUESS YOU AREN'T AS BIG A FAILURE AS I FIRST THOUGHT. THIS IS ALMOST WHAT I NEED TO FINALLY FREE MYSELF. VERY WELL, I SHALL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED. I SHALL SEND TO YOU THE SEVEN SHADOWS."  
Beryl looked up in surprise. "The Seven Shadows? Our best warriors...." A small wicked grin slowly grew across her face. "Yes, that will be perfect."  
As she rose to her feet, she started laughing. 'Yes indeed, that would be perfect. With the Seven Shadows, nothing will stand in my way. First, the Earth will fall, then the Moon, and finally, the universe will be mine.' Still laughing, Queen Beryl left the room.  
By the time she returned to her waiting Generals, she had ceased laughing, but she was still smiling. "There will be a slight change in plan," Beryl said to her four Generals, as she sat back down on her dark throne. Her crystal immediately floated back to its usual position. "I want the four of you to wait here for the time being. You will prepare for the next stage in the overall plan."  
"Yes, Queen Beryl," Kunzite replied. "We shall begin at once."  
"Very good. Now, go." At once, the four Generals disappeared. "Now for next second part of my plan. Major Quartzite, come here at once!"  
A red-haired man appeared at her summons. Quartzite wore the same uniform as the other Generals, but was not yet a General. As the commander of the Dark Kingdom's army, he had a high standing with Queen Beryl, but not as high as the four Generals. "You called, my queen?" Quartzite answered, bowing respectfully to his queen.  
"Yes, Quartzite," Beryl replied. "I have a job for you. I need you to take over command of the Earth invasion forces."  
Quartzite grinned at the news. "Yes, Queen Beryl," he said enthusiastically, "I won't fail you. I shall have the humans begging for mercy in no time." 'Finally,' he thought, 'a chance to prove myself and become a General.'  
"You are welcome to try, Quartzite," Beryl said condescendingly, "but that is not necessary."  
"What do you mean, Queen Beryl?" he asked, confounded.  
"You and your forces are simply a distraction. I am sending the Seven  
  
Shadows against the humans."  
"Th-the Seven Shadows?" he said in astonishment. "Isn't that being a little excessive? After all, they're only humans. Such a force is unnecessary."  
"Silence!" Beryl roared angrily. "How dare you question me?!?"  
"Please forgive me, Queen Beryl. I did not mean to question your wisdom," Quartzite said, cringing. "I was only curious as to the reason why."  
"You do not need to know why, Quartzite," Beryl answered. "You are to follow my orders, no matter the reason. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"  
"Yes, Queen Beryl," he answered.  
"Now, go to your troops. I shall give you the order to attack, myself."  
"As you wish, my queen," Quartzite answered and vanished.  
Now that everything was in place, Queen Beryl began summoning the Seven Shadows. It would take some time, but the outcome would definitely be worth the effort.  
She could feel it. The end was drawing near. The final victory would be hers!  
  
It was full dark on the Moon. In the Moon Palace, almost everyone was  
  
asleep, including the Sailor Scouts. Some of the palace guards were patrolling the grounds, but since most of the populace was unaware of the imminent threat from the Earth, the guards on duty were a bare minimum. They were mostly assigned to the exterior, since it was highly unlikely that any threat would come from inside. This was an important fact to Naru, who was now sneaking her way to the throne room.  
She was slowly and quietly making her way to the throne room, hoping she wouldn't be seen. She didn't want to have to explain what she was doing here at this time of night. Luckily, there were no guards posted at the throne room entrance. She took a deep breath, glanced around, and opened the doors just enough to let her slip inside. When she was inside, she closed the doors behind her.  
It was pitch black inside the throne room. As she removed the cover on the lantern she had brought with her, its faint illuminating glow formed a small bubble of light around her.  
She looked around the dark room. The feeling of safety she had felt yesterday was gone now, replaced by a feeling of dread mixed with guilt. She was beginning to feel a little scared, too. She slowly made her way to the door to the right of Queen Serenity's throne, the glowing sphere of light moving with her. When she reached the door, she paused, uncertainty beginning to take over.  
"I shouldn't be here," she said to herself quietly. " Why am I doing this?" She slowly recalled the series of events that led to her being here now....  
  
After bringing Prince Ryoku and Princess Ami to Queen Serenity the day before yesterday, Naru had left the room so as to not be a disturbance. Still, she was curious about what was going on and why the five of them were called to the throne room. She could guess as to the reason why Prince Ryoku was there, but the reason for the four princesses was a mystery. She decided to leave the door open a crack and observe whatever was being discussed.  
She found that she was right about Prince Ryoku. He was going to assist Prince Endymion on Earth. The news of reinforcements was also expected. What she was surprised to hear was that fact that the four princesses were being called upon to assume the roles of the Sailor Scouts. The same Sailor Scouts of legend. But, weren't there five...?  
Naru watched in awe as the four princesses changed before her eyes. Princess Ami became Sailor Mercury, Princess Rei became Sailor Mars, Princess Makoto became Sailor Jupiter, and Princess Minako became Sailor Venus.  
After several moments of waiting, Naru realized that there wasn't going to be a fifth Sailor Scout. Why? The legends spoke of a Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus, but there was a Sailor Earth as well. How come they hadn't revived Sailor Earth?  
As Naru was pondering the reasons for that oversight, she had almost failed to notice that the newly formed Scouts were beginning to leave. Not wanting to be caught snooping, she quickly closed the door and ran down the hallway. After running a short distance, she stopped, turned around and started walking back to the throne room. She still had business with Queen Serenity.  
The four Scouts passed by her and continued down the hall with the two cat advisors, Luna and Artemis. When she reached the door, she almost bumped into Prince Ryoku, who was on his way out. After excusing herself, she entered the throne room.  
"Hello again, Naru," Queen Serenity said. "Is there something I can do for you?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty," Naru replied, bowing, "I do have a favor to request of you."  
"What is it you want?" Queen Serenity said gently.  
"Well, Your Majesty, it's not safe back on Earth, and...," she began.  
"You want to stay here, right?" Queen Serenity finished for her. Naru simply nodded her head. "I don't have any problems with that. You are welcome to stay for as long as you want, Naru."  
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she answered happily. She bowed again and left.  
The next day, she decided to watch the Sailor Scouts as they were training in using their new powers. There were several close calls at first, as she had to dodge the occasional fireball or lightning bolt or energy beam that had accidentally went astray. Fortunately, for her health's sake, they were learning fast.  
As she watched the Scouts, she remembered the question that had been nagging her since the day before. Why wasn't there a Sailor Earth? She decided to see if Luna and Artemis knew the answer.  
"Sailor Earth?" Artemis replied. "We had already thought of that, Naru."  
"Unfortunately," Luna added, "we can't revive Sailor Earth."  
"Why?" Naru asked.  
"The Sailor Scouts are usually the princesses of their respective planets," Luna explained. "Since Prince Endymion has no sisters, we can't revive Sailor Earth that way."  
"When you said 'usually', do you mean that someone else can become Sailor Earth?" Naru inquired.  
"Well, yes," Artemis admitted. "But, the transformation pens don't work for anyone. Only those in any of the royal families can use them, and only females."  
"Oh," Naru said, her enthusiasm deflated a little. "Well, can't Princess Serenity use the transformation pen to become Sailor Earth?"  
"No, she can't," Luna answered.  
"Why not?" Naru asked.  
"Because, she already has another power greater than the transformation pens," Luna replied. "The ability to use the Silver Crystal."  
"Only the royal family of the Moon can use it," Artemis added.  
"Why don't they use it to save the Earth, then?" Naru asked.  
"It's not that simple, Naru," Artemis continued. "You see, the Moon is dependent on it. It's what allows us to live here on the Moon. If either Queen Serenity or Princess Serenity was to use the power of the crystal...."  
"It might destroy the Moon Palace," Naru said.  
"Exactly," Artemis confirmed.  
"I see...," Naru said disappointedly. "Luna?"  
"Yes?"  
"Where did you get those transformation pens from, anyway?"  
"They were kept in the room behind the throne room. That is where the  
  
transformation pens, the Crescent Moon Wand, and the Silver Crystal are all kept."  
  
And now, Naru was here, standing in front of the door leading to the Earth transformation pen.  
"I know Luna and Artemis said that I couldn't use the transformation pen, but I have to see for myself. I have to try. I want to help Prince Endymion and Queen Serenity. They've been so kind to me, especially Queen Serenity. I owe them so much...." Finally making up her mind, she opened the door and entered.  
To her surprise, the room was already illuminated. The light seemed to be emanating from a small silver crystal that was floating above a pedestal. "That must be the Silver Crystal," she said reverently.  
She put down her lantern and turned to look at the other pedestal in the room. This pedestal was larger than the one that held the crystal. On the top of the pedestal, in the center, was a small wand. It had a pink handle with a large yellow crescent moon at the end. "And that must be the Crescent Moon Wand," she said. That, however, was not what had caught her attention.  
Surrounding the Crescent Moon Wand was five circles, each with a different symbol engraved inside. At the top was the symbol for Earth, then Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury, in clockwise order. Only the circle with the symbol of Earth wasn't empty.  
"Ah, here it is," she said picking up the transformation pen. "Now, how does this thing work again?" She quickly recalled how the princesses each held their transformation pens in the air and called on their powers. "Hopefully, it will work for me as it worked for them. I may not be a princess, but perhaps the power would be willing to work for someone who wants to help." She slowly raised the transformation pen into the air. "Well, I guess it's time to find out. I hope this works." She took a deep breath and called upon the powers of Sailor Earth. "Earth power, make up!"  
Nothing happened.  
Naru sighed in disappointment and replaced the transformation pen. "It looks like the cats were right. Oh, well. I tried." She picked up her lantern and turned to leave the room. "I'd better get back before I get in trouble." She quietly left the room and closed the door behind her.  
After Naru left, the Silver Crystal grew brighter for a few seconds and then dimmed back down to normal.  
  
After training for the entire day yesterday, the Sailor Scouts were exhausted, but thanks to a good night's rest they felt rejuvenated and ready for action. They felt fully confident in their abilities and ready for anything.  
"Well, Luna," Sailor Mars asked the black cat, "do you and Artemis think we're ready, yet?"  
"You girls have definitely improved greatly since you started your training," Luna said proudly. "Artemis and I think you're all more than ready to face anything Queen Beryl may send against you."  
"Hopefully, it's not too late for you to make a difference down there," Artemis added.  
Suddenly, a dark, ominous presence washed over the entire room. Each of the Scouts and the two cat advisors all looked around the room, as if they could see what had caused the foreboding sensation they had each felt.  
"Did you feel that?" Sailor Mercury asked.  
"Yeah," Sailor Jupiter answered. "Me, too."  
"What was that?" Sailor Venus asked.  
"Whatever it was," Sailor Mars said seriously, "I bet it means trouble."  
"You may be right, Sailor Mars," Artemis said. "I think it's best that the four of you should go down to Earth right away. Prince Endymion and Prince Ryoku may need your help very soon."  
"We're on our way," Sailor Jupiter said, as the four Sailor Scouts left for Earth.  
"Be careful, Scouts," Luna said.  
"I've got a bad feeling about this, Luna," Artemis said, after the Scouts had left.  
"Me, too, Artemis. Unfortunately, there's nothing more we can do about it."  
  
Endymion was alone in the throne room of the Earth Palace, thinking about the events of the past two days. He had been staring at the Moon for a long time last night. This morning he needed time to think, to plan.  
Most of the injured soldiers from two days ago had recovered somewhat and were ready to fight again, along with some of the soldiers from yesterday who had received lesser injuries. Even with the added support, he still worried. He was sure that Queen Beryl would try to send more powerful soldiers and monsters against them. As things stood now, they wouldn't have much of a chance of winning. Until the Sailor Scouts could come to their aid, then they would have to fend for  
  
themselves. They had no alternative.  
His thoughts came back to Serenity, as they always seemed to do as of late. He regretted not telling her about the emergency back at home. She was probably wondering why her betrothed had left the ball so abruptly the day before yesterday. He wondered if her mother had told her about the Earth invasion yet.  
It was only a few weeks until his wedding with Serenity. It didn't seem fair. One moment, he was the happiest man in the Moon Kingdom; the next moment, he has an invasion to deal with. Why did this have to happen now? Couldn't it have waited until next year?  
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Even though he needed time to think, he shouldn't let his thoughts wander like that. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.  
"Endymion?" a voice called from the other side of the door. It was Ryoku.  
"Come in," he replied.  
Ryoku opened the door enough to let himself in, then he closed behind him. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to be alone or not," he said. "You usually come here and shut the door behind you when you do."  
"I just needed a place to think in quiet, that's all," Endymion replied. He noticed that Ryoku was now wearing a second sword in addition to the one he  
  
usually wore. "That sword...," he said, pointing to the now familiar sword at Ryoku's side, "wasn't that Sakurada's sword?"  
Ryoku's expression grew somber as he looked at the sword in question. "Yes, it is," he answered quietly. "It was her last wish for me to use it on her behalf to assist you in Earth's defense."  
"I see," Endymion said, after a short pause. "She was a great General and a good friend."  
"I know," Ryoku replied. "She was my friend, too."  
"I've already lost two of my best Generals. First Nagashima, then Sakurada." He shook his head sadly. "How long is this going to last, Ryoku? How long until I lose either Akiyama, or... you? As far as we know, I may be the next one to go."  
"Don't say that, Endymion," Ryoku said indignantly. "You need to stay alive. If not for your sake, then for Serenity's. I don't want to be the one to tell her that her beloved has died.  
"And as for myself or anyone else dying, don't worry so much about it. We know the risks of fighting a war include the possibility of dying. We're all prepared for that."  
"Even you, Ryoku?" Endymion asked.  
"Well, yes," Ryoku answered, "but I have no intention of dying before my time."  
Endymion smiled at the remark. "Neither do I," he added.  
"Good, then it's settled. Neither one of us is going to die until this is over with, agreed?" Ryoku asked, extending his hand.  
"Agreed," Endymion said, laughing as he clasped his hand with Ryoku's and shook it.  
Suddenly, a dark, ominous presence washed over the entire room. Both Ryoku and Endymion looked around the room, as if they could see what had caused the foreboding sensation they had each felt.  
"Did you feel that?" Ryoku asked worriedly.  
"Yes, I think we'd better alert the troops," Endymion replied. "We should hurry. I have the feeling the worst has yet to come."  
"At this point," Ryoku added sardonically, "I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
Queen Beryl had just finished summoning the last of the Seven Shadows. Now she was ready to begin the final phase in this part of her plan.  
Her four Generals had already finished making their preparations. As soon as the Earth was hers, it would be a matter of moments until she would be ready to implement the final part of her plan.  
"Major Quartzite, report!" Beryl shouted.  
"Yes, my Queen. What are your orders?" Quartzite answered telepathically.  
"It is time," Beryl said. "I have finished summoning the Seven Shadows. When they reach your position, you are to begin the final attack."  
"Yes, Queen Beryl. It shall be done as you ordered," Quartzite replied.  
"Good. Do not fail me, Quartzite."  
"I shall not fail, Queen Beryl. You shall see."  
"Indeed, I shall, Quartzite," Beryl said with an insidious grin. "Indeed, I shall."  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	7. Chapter 6: The Battle for Earth

Chapter 6: The Battle for Earth  
  
Akiyama stood on a small hill, looking through her binoculars for any sign of an advancing army. She was a little worried about what Prince Endymion and Prince Ryoku had told her earlier today. She hadn't felt the dark presence that they had described to her, but she had no trouble imagining how it must have felt. With an ominous portent such as that, she was definitely not looking forward to this upcoming battle.  
When she saw Queen Beryl's forces, she made a quick estimate of their  
  
fighting strength. When she was finished, she was relieved to discover that they hadn't increased their numbers by very much. She lowered her binoculars and went to report the information.  
"Prince Endymion, Prince Ryoku, the enemy is approaching," Akiyama reported. "I estimate that they should be here in approximately twenty minutes."  
"Twenty minutes, huh?" Ryoku said thoughtfully. "How's their fighting  
  
strength?"  
"Surprisingly enough, they haven't increased by much. Only a few hundred more than last time."  
"Only a few hundred?" Endymion asked, his tone showing a hint of suspicion.  
"Yes, Prince Endymion. Is something wrong?" she asked, her expression  
  
becoming concerned.  
"I'm not sure," he replied hesitantly.  
"Something to do with that dark presence we felt earlier?" Ryoku supposed.  
"Yeah," Endymion confirmed. "I have a feeling that something's going to happen that will take things from bad to worse."  
"Prince Endymion, aren't the Sailor Scouts supposed to be coming today?" Akiyama asked hopefully.  
"Queen Serenity said that their training should take only a day, so they should be finished with their training by now," he told her. "All we can do is hold on until they arrive."  
"Endymion," Ryoku said, frowning thoughtfully, "do you think that the Scouts might have felt the same dark presence that we did?"  
"Hmm... maybe," he replied, frowning as well. "I only hope that it's nothing that they can't handle."  
Akiyama turned to look in the direction of the incoming army. "Prince  
  
Endymion, Prince Ryoku, they are almost here. Shall we have the men prepare for battle?"  
"I guess we'd better get this over with," he muttered as he, Ryoku and Akiyama all went to make their preparations.  
  
Quartzite growled to himself as he led his so-called invasion army to battle the humans. "How can Queen Beryl do this to me?" he shouted in frustration. "I am the commander of her armies. I may not be a General, but I have always served her loyally. Why has she made me, of all of her subordinates, the commander of this... this... mockery of an invasion force?  
"I am every bit as good as those pompous, arrogant, incompetent idiots she calls Generals," he continued, his tone dripping with contempt. "I should be commanding a real invasion army, instead of just a diversion force." He sighed and shook his head in resignation. "Until Queen Beryl recognizes my abilities and potential, I have no choice."  
He looked back behind him at the seven dark apparitions that had elected to stay towards the back of the army. "Hmph. There's the real invasion force right there," he remarked sourly. Even though Queen Beryl had them following his orders for now, as soon as the battle began they would most likely ignore any orders he gave them. They were probably going to ignore him altogether. 'Oh, well. No helping that. Not as though I care in the least.'  
As his army drew closer to the human army, he gave the order to prepare to charge. At this time, he decided to stand aside and let his forces do the actual fighting while he stayed apart from the battle. 'Since it doesn't matter whether my forces win or lose, I'm not even going to bother. It's up to the Seven Shadows to determine whether we win or lose, and they never lose.'  
He gave the order to charge and stood aside as his army of decoys charged ahead. When the last of his army and the Seven Shadows had passed by, he looked around for somewhere he could watch the fun.  
"It's almost a shame that it's going to be over so soon," he said to himself, grinning maliciously.  
  
Just as Endymion and Ryoku were about to join the battle, they had spotted seven dark figures slowly approaching the battle site.  
"Ryoku, do you remember when I said that the worst had yet to come?" Endymion asked.  
"Let me guess," Ryoku replied sullenly. "It's here?"  
"Uh-huh. All seven of them. They must have been the dark presence we felt earlier."  
"No doubt. The army we can handle, but these..." Ryoku paused, searching for the right words, "shadow warriors might be out of our league entirely. If the Sailor Scouts don't get here soon, then we're in deep trouble."  
"It looks like Queen Beryl is deadly serious, now," Endymion said flatly. "This is it. If we lose this battle, then we lose it all. Earth's freedom depends on our victory."  
Ryoku's promise to Haruna echoed in his head. "Then, we cannot fail," he said with a grim determination that matched the expression on his face. His grip on his swords tightened to the point where his knuckles were turning white. "Ready, Endymion?" he asked.  
"Ready," he replied, his determination matching Ryoku's. "Let's go."  
At first, the seven Shadow Warriors held back, not actually engaging in battle, as if waiting for something. When Endymion and Ryoku joined in the battle, the dark creatures immediately leaped into action with incredible ferocity. They tore through the soldiers as if they were made of paper, leaving a bloody mess in their wake. When the soldiers tried to fight back, the Shadow Warriors merely slipped around their blows as if they were made of liquid.  
The Shadow Warriors continued on their path of destruction, heading straight for Endymion and Ryoku. Before either of them could get out of the way, the first two Shadow Warriors leaped at them. Before they could take down their victims, a couple of voices suddenly shouted in their direction.  
"Fire soul!"  
A large fireball slammed into the two attacking creatures, knocking them away from their intended victims.  
"Crescent beam!"  
Seconds after the fireball hit, a beam of energy blasted the other five Shadow Warriors, abruptly halting their rampage.  
The two princes turned toward the source of the voices and attacks and saw four figures rushing towards them. Four very familiar and very welcome figures.  
"Hey, Endymion," Ryoku said, feeling very relieved, "it looks like help has finally arrived!"  
"Sorry we're late," Sailor Jupiter said with a wink directed at her brother. "Better late than never, right guys?"  
"I couldn't agree more," Endymion said, greatly relieved at seeing the Sailor Scouts arrive.  
"Don't worry about those guys over there," Sailor Mars said, gesturing towards the Shadow Warriors, who were now recovering from the blows they received from the Scouts. "We'll handle them. You two have your hands full already." Sailor Mars turned to the other Scouts. "Let's go!" With that, the four Sailor Scouts ran off to face the dark creatures.  
"You heard them, Ryoku!" Endymion shouted, hope shining in his eyes. "Let's go rid ourselves of these invaders!"  
"Right behind you!" Ryoku replied and followed his friend into the fray.  
  
Quartzite's eyes widened in surprise at what he saw. "Amazing! Those two girls just blasted the Seven Shadows!" He was quite shocked at seeing the girl in red throw a fireball at two of the Shadows, while the one in orange threw an energy beam at the other five. The result was that the seven creatures went flying.  
Instead of being angry at the impossible turn of events, Quartzite started laughing. "Well now, this is going to be one interesting match-up. Obviously, those four girls must be Queen Serenity's most powerful warriors. Such a shame to see such beauty go to waste though...."  
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. "Wait a minute. What if these four girls prove to be a match for the Seven Shadows? I hope Queen Beryl doesn't blame me for it...."  
  
The seven Shadow Warriors danced around, as if mocking the Scouts. The four girls exchanged a look, nodded once and prepared their assault. Sailor Mercury was the first one to attack.  
"Shabon spray!"  
A thick mist appeared, making it hard to see. This time, though, Sailor Mercury had finally figured out how to use her power so that the Scouts could see through it, but the enemy couldn't.  
After the fog had covered all of the Shadow Warriors, the other three Scouts began their attack.  
"Fire soul!"  
"Supreme thunder!"  
"Crescent beam!"  
The fire and lightning mixed with energy went hurtling into the fog at the Shadow Warriors. Moments before hitting them, they all jumped away, as if sensing the attack. Three of the dark creatures suddenly darted in the Scouts' direction, heading straight for Mars, Jupiter and Venus. The first creature struck Mars in the side, while the second hit Jupiter in the stomach and the third gave Venus a blow to the head.  
"Oh, no! Jupiter! Mars! Venus!" Mercury shouted, as her teammates were hit hard. That's when she was struck in the back by a fourth Shadow Warrior. Mercury flew through the air and landed hard next to her friends.  
"They pack quite a punch," Jupiter groaned, as she and the other Scout got to their feet.  
"Yeah," Venus agreed. "Shall we try again?"  
"I'm all for it!" Mars said and prepared to use her powers again. "Fire soul!"  
The fireball flew straight for a group of four Shadow Warriors, causing them to scatter.  
"Oh, no you don't!" Venus said. "Not this time! Crescent beam!"  
"Fire soul!"  
"Supreme thunder!"  
"Shabon spray!"  
The four attacks each hit a different Shadow Warrior, knocking them to their feet. Meanwhile, the other three were charging the Scouts while they were blasting their comrades. The first one tackled Sailor Jupiter, who immediately countered by throwing it off her and blasting it with another thunderbolt. The second tried to slash at Sailor Mercury, but missed as she leaped out of the way. Sailor Venus then blasted it with one of her crescent beams, which sent it flying to join the first four. The last one leaped at Sailor Mars, who met it midair with a jump kick followed by a fireball. By the time it hit the ground, the other six were up and ready to challenge the Scouts again.  
"These guys are tough!" Mercury said with dismay.  
"It looks like it's gonna take everything we've got to defeat these monsters," Mars said. "Ready?"  
"Ready!" the other Scouts replied in unison.  
"Then, let's go!" Mars shouted as she and the other Scouts charged at the seven Shadow Warriors.  
  
During the battle, Ryoku had lost sight of Endymion. He was beginning to grow tired of constantly getting separated from his friends during battle. He was going to have to start paying more attention next time.  
He let that thought go, as he was now preparing to face three opponents at once. At the moment, they were circling him warily, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Since he was growing a little impatient, he obliged them by dropping his guard. Just as he predicted, all three attacked almost simultaneously.  
He rushed at one of his attackers and parried his blow with one of his swords while continuing to run past him. Now that all of his attackers were behind him, he turned to face them. He met the first one by blocking his sword and kicking him in the stomach and then the head. He then dodged the second attacker altogether and gave the third one a sword thrust through the middle of his chest while, at the same time, swinging backwards with his other sword, taking off the second attacker's head.  
He turned back to the first attacker, who had already gotten to his feet and was charging at him, and blocked his attack with both swords. He locked swords with his opponent and was straining to gain the upper hand. Suddenly, his grim expression was replaced by a menacing grin. Before his opponent could figure out what was going on, he simply said, "Goodbye," and quickly spun to one side while at the same time slicing his opponent's throat.  
Taking a short break to catch his breath, he looked around for any sign of either Endymion or Akiyama. Turning to his left, he could see the battle taking place between the Sailor Scouts and the Shadow Warriors. 'Wow,' he thought to himself, 'it looks like the Scouts are going all out in this fight. But the Shadow Warriors are taking everything they have to give and then some. I just hope the Scouts can keep them away from the other battle that's taking place. The fight's going bad enough as it is.'  
Suddenly, he spotted a group of enemy soldiers heading straight for the Scouts. 'With the concentration the Sailor Scouts are putting into their fight, I doubt they'll have any to spare against those minor threats. Endymion and Akiyama can take care of themselves. I'd better go take care of this little problem.'  
He hurried to intercept the group before they could sneak up on the Scouts. The group was heading for the nearest Scout, Sailor Mars, who was in the middle of trying to fry a couple of Shadow Warriors with her fireballs.  
"Sailor Mars, look out!" he called out, just as one of the soldiers leaped at her with his sword aimed for her neck. She turned around in time to see the blade rush dangerously for her throat.  
A couple of inches before the blade would have sliced her throat, Ryoku deflected the attack while at the same time impaling the attacker on his other sword. After sliding his sword out of the body he quickly dispatched the remaining  
  
attackers. "You all right?" he asked, turning to check on Sailor Mars.  
"Yeah, thanks Ryoku. I guess I owe you one," she answered, grinning sheepishly.  
"Don't mention it," he replied, grinning back. His grin faded when he saw that more enemy soldiers were headed their way. "You and the other Sailor Scouts just take care of those Shadow Warriors. I'll try my best to keep these guys off your backs," he told her as he pointed toward the oncoming group.  
She nodded and smiled in appreciation. "That'll be a great help. I'll be sure to let the others know. Especially, Sailor Mercury." He groaned slightly as he turned to face the advancing horde. "I'm just kidding, Ryoku," she said with a laugh.  
"Fine time for it," he muttered, but grinned despite himself.  
"Sorry," she replied, still smiling, and turned to leave. "Take care of yourself, Ryoku, and good luck."  
"You, too," he said, as she departed. "All of you." He took a quick count before getting ready to repel the enemy's advance and found that there were more than he counted last time.  
"Uh-oh...."  
  
At first, only a few soldiers tried to attack the Sailor Scouts, but gradually more broke from the battle to charge the Scouts. Ryoku found it harder and harder to deal with so many at once. There was also the added difficulty of having to fight in a thick mist that was constantly appearing, thanks to Sailor Mercury. Fortunately, he quickly adjusted, using the fact that he knew the terrain better than his opponents and the fact that he was growing accustomed to the fog.  
After taking down a couple of soldiers going after Sailor Venus, he took a quick look to see how the main battle was faring. What he saw wasn't encouraging. A third of the army was gone, while Queen Beryl's army had lost only a few hundred. Obviously, the arrival of the Shadow Warriors had made a psychological impact on the defending forces. As determined to win as he was, Ryoku knew when to admit defeat.  
A quick glance to his right showed Sailor Jupiter preparing to electrocute a couple of Shadow Warriors. Behind her were a couple of soldiers trying to sneak up on her.  
"Supreme...," she began, oblivious to the threat behind her.  
"Sailor Jupiter, behind you!" he yelled as he ran towards her, trying to intercept the attackers.  
"What? Hey!" she exclaimed as he tackled her to the ground, wincing as he hit. "What are you doing? I was just about to...."  
Before she could finish, he lashed out behind her with his sword. She quickly turned to see that he had taken down the soldiers who were about to ambush her.  
"I've got some bad news," he said as they both stood up.  
"Great," Jupiter muttered, "just what we need. What is it?"  
"The army's being overwhelmed. I think that we might have to retreat to the Moon for now."  
"What? Are you sure? We can't just abandon the Earth like that."  
"I know. I need to find Endymion. It's his call on whether we stay or go. With the way things are going right now, we might not have much choice." He clenched his fists in frustration. "You should let the other Scouts know fast."  
"Right. I'll go tell them now," she said.  
He nodded and started to leave, but he suddenly winced in pain and stumbled forward a little. That was when Sailor Jupiter noticed that when he saved her from that ambush, he wasn't left unscathed. On his left leg was a small wound, not very deep, and across his back was a long diagonal gash from his right shoulder to his left mid-section. Added to the many minor cuts and wounds he had already sustained, the fact that he was only now starting to show that he was injured surprised her.  
"Ryoku, you're badly wounded!" she said worriedly, her concern for her brother evident on her face.  
He shook his head as he ignored the pain. "I know, but that's not important now. You have to warn the other Scouts and I have to find Endymion. You gotta hurry!" he said, then turned to go find Endymion.  
"Be careful, Ryoku," she said quietly. Almost as if he had heard her, he turned around briefly, waved, and quickly disappeared, swallowed up by the chaos that was rapidly unfolding all over the place.  
  
Endymion didn't know how it happened, but somehow it had. After losing sight of Ryoku in the middle of the battle, he had his hands full fighting soldier after soldier. For every opponent he had cut down, two seemed to appear in his place, until he was now surrounded. Even surrounded, he refused the give up without a fight. He managed to hold his own for a few minutes, but he knew eventually one of the soldiers would reach him. Even now, one of his opponents' swords was coming dangerously close to his neck....  
Before the sword could pierce his throat, a sword suddenly deflected the attack while another ran the offender through the chest. The owner of those two swords was someone Endymion was very glad to see. "Been busy?" he asked.  
"A little," Ryoku replied, shrugging indifferently. "You?"  
"Not much going on here. You can join in if you want."  
Ryoku made a show of examining the opposition. "Looks like you can handle it by yourself, but since I got nothing better to do...," he said while assuming a defensive stance, "I might as well."  
The fact that there were two targets instead of one should have made little difference, but since they were both expert swordsmen, the two princes tore through the horde of soldiers with few problems.  
"Hmph. Hardly a challenge. Right, Endymion?" Ryoku asked smugly.  
"Yeah. Thanks for your help, Ryoku," he said gratefully.  
"No problem." Ryoku frowned as he recalled the reason why he had searched for him. "Endymion, I've got some bad news. We've got an emergency on our hands."  
"Emergency?" Endymion asked, growing concerned. "Don't tell me that the Shadow Warriors have defeated the Sailor Scouts!"  
"No, no, no!" Ryoku corrected quickly. "They're still holding them off. It's about the army, Endymion. We've taken heavy losses, while Queen Beryl's forces haven't lost as much as we thought they would. My guess is that they're being encouraged by the fact that their strongest warriors have now taken an active part in their battle."  
Endymion nodded soberly. "That would explain why they're more aggressive now than the last two battles they've fought in."  
"Endymion, I think that we may need to retreat to the Moon for now," Ryoku said in a subdued voice. "I know this sounds like I'm giving up, but I'm not. We're losing too many men and the Scouts are barely holding the Shadow Warriors back. We can't take much more of this. You know we're willing to defend Earth to the end, but right now there's no chance of winning, barring an impossible miracle.  
"It's your decision, Endymion. Stay, or retreat?"  
He was quiet for a long time. 'If I stay, then it's likely that I, Ryoku, the Scouts and all of us will die. If I go, then we will be abandoning Earth to Queen Beryl. Either way, we lose and Queen Beryl wins.' He shook his head in discouragement and  
  
sighed. 'If there is any chance of defeating Queen Beryl, I have to be alive to do it. I guess I have no choice.'  
Just then, Sailor Mercury ran up to them. She gave a small nod to Ryoku, who returned the favor. "Endymion, we can't keep them away from your men anymore," she said apologetically. "Queen Beryl's troops are constantly getting in our way, attacking us. We can't deal with both at once."  
"I understand Sailor Mercury," Endymion said. "You and the other Sailor Scouts did your best. It looks like we have no other choice. We have to retreat." He said the last part with an angry growl, clenching his fists in anger.  
"The Moon Palace must be defended at all costs," he continued. "No doubt that is Queen Beryl's true goal. Ryoku, I want you to go to the Moon Palace  
  
immediately and inform Queen Serenity of our defeat. I will join you when I can." Ryoku nodded. He then turned to Sailor Mercury. "Sailor Mercury, would you and the other Scouts accompany him? I'm worried that if we start retreating to the Moon Palace, Queen Beryl might see it as an opportunity to attack immediately. She may have troops waiting to invade right now. I must stay and help General Akiyama begin the evacuation to the Moon."  
"Certainly, Endymion," Mercury replied. "The other Scouts and I will go with him. Besides, we must also tell Queen Serenity about the creatures we just fought."  
"The Shadow Warriors," Ryoku murmured quietly.  
"The Shadow Warriors?" Mercury repeated quizzically as he looked at him. "That sounds appropriate."  
"Endymion, while I'm at the Palace, do you want me to tell Serenity about what has happened here?" Ryoku asked.  
Endymion's expression grew sad as he thought of his beloved. "No, Ryoku. It's best if I tell her myself. You'd better get going. We don't have much time."  
"Right." Ryoku and Sailor Mercury said in unison and left, while Endymion left to go find Akiyama.  
A short while later, he found her, wounded, but still able to walk, if a little painfully. "Akiyama," Endymion began in an emotionless tone, "we must regroup and prepare for a retreat to the Moon. This battle is lost."  
  
From his vantage point, Quartzite started smiling at the humans' expense. The humans were retreating and the battle was theirs. All that was left was to report the victory to Queen Beryl. "Queen Beryl, this is Quartzite. I have news concerning the battle."  
"Well, what is it?" Queen Beryl replied telepathically. Quartzite thought she sounded almost... excited.  
"The humans have been defeated and are now retreating as I speak."  
"Excellent! Now I can move on to the final phase of my plan."  
"Queen Beryl, there is something else you should know."  
"What? What is it now?" Now she sounded angry.  
"During the battle, I saw four girls take on the Seven Shadows. They were almost as strong as the Shadows, but they couldn't defeat them. I believe that they are Queen Serenity's most powerful warriors."  
"So? They were beaten! Why do you think that this should concern me?"  
"They may have gone back to the Moon to gain reinforcements. They might try to retake the Earth. Attacking the Moon right now might not be a good idea...."  
"Don't presume to tell me what to do!!!"  
"Yes... I mean, no... I mean... As you wish, my Queen." Now, she was angry.  
"Still... you may have a point. Very well, I shall wait and build my army's strength so there shall be no doubt as to who will be the victor in this war, and who shall be the vanquished...."  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	8. Chapter 7: A New Scout is Born

Chapter 7: A New Scout is Born  
  
Serenity stared up at the Earth again, for what had to be the hundredth time that day. Something was nagging at her insides and she didn't know what. For some reason, Luna wasn't around as usual and hadn't been around since the day before yesterday. All Luna said was that she and Artemis had some very urgent business that required their attention. When she asked Luna about it, she told her that it wasn't anything to worry about and then left.  
Confused, she when to ask her mother about what Luna and Artemis was doing that was so important. Her mother just smiled at her and told her that it wasn't anything to worry about and that she shouldn't worry so much. Serenity wasn't content with the answer, but she just let it go at that. As she thanked her mother and turned to leave, she thought she saw a hint of sadness on her mother's serene face. Taking a quick glance back at her mother, she saw that she was mistaken. There wasn't any sadness there. Or, was she just hiding it for her daughter's sake....  
Sitting in her bedroom and still staring up at the Earth, she sighed longingly for her Earth Prince. She hadn't seen him since the ball the day before yesterday, either. She began to wonder if the two weren't connected. 'Perhaps something is happening on Earth?' she thought to herself. 'If there is, why hasn't Endymion told me about it? Oh, I hope nothing has happened to him. I couldn't bear it if something has happened.  
Wait a minute,' she thought as a sudden realization came to her. 'Come to think of it, I haven't seen Amy, Rei, Minako, Makoto or Ryoku since the day before yesterday either. I don't like to be kept in the dark like this, but if Mother doesn't want me to worry about it, then it's probably for a good reason.' She sighed again, wistfully. 'But, I still can't help but worry for Endymion....'  
  
"I need to ask all of you a favor," Sailor Jupiter said to the other Scouts as they arrived at the Moon Palace. She said it quietly so Ryoku couldn't hear, but the others could.  
"What is it?" Sailor Venus asked.  
"I need you all to help me convince Ryoku that he has to go to the infirmary first, to treat his wounds, before going to see Queen Serenity," Jupiter replied as she glanced worriedly toward her brother. "He's been wounded badly and he's probably in a lot of pain, despite how he must be hiding it. He's so determined to see Queen Serenity and give her his report in spite of his appearance, that I don't think he'll listen to me."  
"From the way he's moving, you wouldn't suspect that he's been hurt," Sailor Mercury said. "But, if he's as badly wounded as you say, then we'd better get him some medical attention quickly."  
"Whether he wants it or not," Sailor Mars added firmly. The other Scouts nodded in agreement.  
"Ryoku, wait!" Jupiter said as she and the other Scouts caught up to him.  
"Yes?" he prompted without stopping.  
"Listen, you've been wounded and we want you to come with us to the infirmary," she began.  
"You wouldn't want to see Queen Serenity looking like a bloody mess, would you?" Venus asked.  
"Doesn't matter," he replied without breaking stride. "I have important information that can't wait. I need to see Queen Serenity now."  
"Ryoku, we know that you have to see Queen Serenity," Mars explained. "So do we, but think about your health. Walking around with your wounds untreated definitely isn't a good thing. You could make your injures worse."  
"I don't care," Ryoku said flatly.  
"Ryoku, please," Sailor Mercury said entreatingly. "You have to come with us. You need medical attention. Please, Ryoku, do this for us.... For me?"  
That caused him to stop suddenly. The Scouts all looked at him expectantly, hoping that he would concede.  
"I'm sorry," he said at last. "This is more important than what I want or need. If it were up to me, I would've been in the infirmary already. After I see Queen Serenity, then I'll go. All right?" Instead of waiting for an answer, he continued on his way, leaving the other Scouts behind.  
"So much for convincing him," Sailor Venus said.  
"We tried," Sailor Mercury agreed.  
"Plan B?" Sailor Jupiter asked.  
"Plan B," Sailor Mars agreed while the other two nodded their agreement.  
The four Scouts caught up with Ryoku again, but this time instead of trying to convince him, they decided to use a more... forceful approach. Jupiter grabbed his right arm while Mars grabbed the left and pulled him backwards. That caused him to lose his balance enough so that Venus could grab his left leg and Mercury could grab his right leg. Between the four of them, they could very easily carry him to the infirmary, indignantly protesting all the way.  
On the way to the infirmary, Ryoku noticed that some of the castle's inhabitants were watching the interesting scene they were displaying - the Prince of Jupiter being carried, protesting, to the infirmary by the four Sailor Scouts - and couldn't help but give a quiet little laugh at his position. He looked up at his captors and wondered if they were thinking the same thing. 'If they are,' Ryoku thought, 'they're probably trying not to laugh at my expense. How magnanimous of them.'  
Ryoku finally submitted. "All right, you can put me down. I'll go to the infirmary. You don't have to carry me."  
"You promise?" Sailor Venus asked.  
"I promise," Ryoku agreed. "Can you put me down now? That is, unless you all like carrying me around?" he said in a mocking tone. In response, the Scouts all let go simultaneously, letting him hit the floor with a thud.  
"That's all right," Sailor Mars replied. "You're a little too heavy to carry all the way there anyways."  
"This is no way to treat a wounded person!" Ryoku exclaimed indignantly as he got to his feet.  
"Don't worry," Sailor Mercury told him in a placating voice. "We'll be sure to tell Queen Serenity all the important details. When you're ready, you can give her your report."  
"Okay, you'd better hurry then," Ryoku said as he started for the infirmary. Just before he turned the corner, he could hear the sound of four girls laughing. He growled to himself and continued on his way.  
  
The only occupants of the throne room were Queen Serenity and the two cat advisors, Luna and Artemis. Apparently, she was having a private discussion with her advisors.  
As soon as she saw who the new arrivals were, a worried expression crossed her face. "You're back so soon?" she asked. Her worry grew when she discovered that there only the four Scouts. "Endymion and Ryoku aren't with you? Has something gone wrong on Earth?"  
"Terribly wrong, Your Majesty," Sailor Mercury replied dauntingly. "Our forces have been defeated by vast numbers and very powerful creatures. We tried our best, but despite all the efforts of Prince Endymion, Prince Ryoku and us Scouts, the Earth is lost to us for now.  
"Ryoku has come with us, but he has been badly wounded and is now receiving medical attention in the palace infirmary. He has brought a report from Prince Endymion. He is still on Earth, but he is okay. As we speak, he is organizing a full retreat from Earth to here. He should be here soon. He can give you more details than I can."  
"I see," Queen Serenity said, only partially relieved that Endymion and Ryoku were still alive, but still worried over the defeat on the Earth. "These powerful creatures you were speaking of, can you describe them to me?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty," Sailor Venus said. "They are a group of seven dark, shadow-like creatures that Prince Ryoku has appropriately termed, the 'Shadow Warriors'. They are very fast and very powerful. If there was only one I'm sure we could've destroyed it, but we had to fight seven at once."  
"We managed to hold them off from the rest of the battle," Sailor Jupiter said, picking up the narrative, "but that took everything we had. As we fought them, some of Beryl's soldiers tried to get in our way by attacking us."  
"We wouldn't have held them off for as long as we did if it wasn't for Prince Ryoku," Sailor Mars added. "He fought off many of Beryl's troops by himself, keeping them away from us so we could concentrate on the Shadow Warriors. He was a great help."  
As if on cue, the door to the throne room opened to admit Ryoku inside. He was wearing a uniform similar to the one he had been wearing upon his arrival; only this one was clean and free of rips and tears. Actually, there was little evidence that he looked like a bloody mess just a moment ago.  
"In fact," Sailor Mars continued, looking at Ryoku, "he saved my life back there."  
"He saved all our lives at least once," Sailor Jupiter added. "Beryl's soldiers liked to try to sneak up on us whenever they could. Ryoku was injured trying to save me."  
"Injured? He doesn't look injured to me," Artemis said.  
"They... persuaded... me to go to the infirmary first," Ryoku said, looking intently at the Scouts. "Under this uniform are a lot of bandages. The Scouts thought that I should at least look presentable when delivering bad news." The sarcastic and bitter tone in his voice was unmistakable.  
"And bad news it is," Queen Serenity said sadly. "But despite such grim events, I must thank you, Ryoku, for all your assistance; with Endymion as well as with the Sailor Scouts."  
"No thanks are necessary," Ryoku said, bowing stiffly, since the bandages were inhibiting his normal movement.  
Once again, the door to the throne room opened, but this time it was Endymion who entered. "I have arrived as soon as I could, Your Majesty," he said, bowing deeply.  
"It is good to see you, Prince Endymion," Queen Serenity said. "I've heard you've been busy preparing your remaining people to evacuate here. How is your progress?"  
"I have left General Akiyama in charge of preparing the remaining citizens." Then his voice became somber. "What was left of the army, I brought with me. I sent the uninjured to join the palace defenses and the injured and recovering to the infirmary. It is fortunate that the infirmary is large enough to admit them all."  
Endymion paused to stare out the window towards the Earth. "General Akiyama should be arriving at any moment. She was almost ready by the time I left.  
"It was strange though...," Endymion said thoughtfully, as if something was puzzling him. "After our retreat to the Earth Palace, Beryl's forces just... ignored us. They didn't try to interrupt our evacuation or prevent us from leaving Earth. It's as if... they had something more important to worry about.  
"Your Majesty," he continued, "I believe that Queen Beryl plans to invade here very soon. She has already taken over Earth. She must've wanted Earth just so she could have a base to invade the Moon from. Once she is ready, she will invade."  
Queen Serenity nodded calmly. "Yes, Prince Endymion, I'm afraid you may be absolutely right. I have been preparing for such an event ever since I had first learned of the invasion," she said, but then sighed regretfully. "Unfortunately, it seems that with these Shadow Warriors of theirs, all of our defenses may be  
  
ultimately futile. Even though our chances seem very small, I would ask you to aid us in defending my kingdom, Prince Endymion."  
"I would be honored to, Your Majesty," Endymion answered, kneeling in front of her. "I swear to defend the Moon Kingdom to the end."  
"I know you will, Endymion," she said, smiling. As Endymion rose and turned to leave, she said, "Endymion, if you are going to look for Serenity, I believe she is outside on the balcony above the ballroom." He turned back to Queen Serenity and bowed, smiling. Then, he left to search for his beloved.  
"Your Majesty," Ryoku said, kneeling as best he could in front of her, "allow me to add my oath to Endymion's to defend the Moon Kingdom to the end. I made a promise to a friend of mine, who is dead now, that I would do everything and anything in my power to help in stopping Queen Beryl." He unsheathed Sakurada's sword and displayed it for all to see. "This blade is a reminder of that promise. I must do whatever it takes to fulfill it."  
Queen Serenity looked at the sword and gasped. "That's... General Sakurada's sword, isn't it?" Ryoku nodded and sheathed the sword. "I see. I will gladly accept your oath, Prince Ryoku. We may need all the help we can get in our upcoming battle against Queen Beryl."  
"Our main problem is with the Shadow Warriors," Luna said. "According to the Scouts, those creatures may be a little too much for the four of them."  
"Your Majesty," Ryoku said suddenly, "I have seen how they fight. Perhaps if I tried to fight them with the Sailor Scouts, maybe they might be able to beat them."  
"You can't, Ryoku!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed worriedly. "The Shadow Warriors are incredibly strong! You might not stand a chance against them!"  
"Besides," Sailor Mars added, "it took all four of us to just hold them back, using all of our power. With no power of your own, you may become more of a risk than a help."  
"I know that!" Ryoku retorted. "Still, I gave my word that I would do whatever it takes. The four of you may be able to stop the Shadow Warriors, but you don't have enough power to defeat them without help. Since we don't have any more Sailor Scouts with us, you only have regular soldiers like myself to help you.  
"I am one of the best swordsmen of the entire Moon Kingdom," he stated as a matter of fact and not a boast. "I'm aware that I may have little chance of succeeding or surviving without powers like yours, but I have to try.  
"If it means that I don't stand a chance, if it means that I will most likely die in the attempt... then, so be it." His voice held no emotion when making that statement. His gaze was cold and resolute. The four Scouts looked at him as if seeing a whole different person. They had never seen him so serious before and it was surprising. Their respect for the Jupiter prince increased dramatically.  
"Well," Sailor Venus said, breaking the silence, "if that's how you feel, Ryoku.... But, we really wish you would reconsider. Getting yourself killed won't help us; it would only make things worse."  
"Luna, Artemis, you wouldn't happen to have any more transformation pens, would you?" Sailor Mercury asked. Everyone turned to look at the blue- haired girl as they considered what she had just said.  
"Of course!" Sailor Mars exclaimed, smacking a fist into her other hand in realization. "Why didn't we think of that before? Well, you two? Do you have another transformation pen for Ryoku?"  
"Well...," Artemis began, "we do have another transformation pen...."  
"Great!" Mars said.  
"...but, he can't use it," he finished. "Or rather, he won't be able to use it."  
"What?" Venus said.  
"Why not?" Ryoku asked.  
"Maybe we should start at the beginning," Luna said. "Do you all remember the legend of the five Sailor Scouts of the past?"  
"You mean the one where the five female warriors battled some ancient evil being and imprisoned it somewhere?" Ryoku asked.  
"The same," Luna said. "The five warriors were Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Earth."  
"Like us?" Jupiter asked.  
"Only, without Sailor Earth," Ryoku added.  
"Yes," Artemis said.  
"So, what you're saying is that they're our predecessors and we're their successors." Mercury stated.  
"Exactly."  
"So, what does this have to do with me not being able to use the Earth transformation pen?" Ryoku asked. "I know that traditionally the princess of Earth would be the one to become Sailor Earth, but Endymion's an only child. No sister. There must be someway for someone else to assume the power of a Sailor Scout in situations like this."  
"First of all," Luna said, "the power of the Sailor Scouts does not come from their transformation pens, but from their respective planets. Each Scout draws power from their planet through their transformation pen, which later serves as a link to their planet after transformation. However, the pens can only draw so much power from their respective planets at a time."  
"The reason you can't use the transformation pen, Ryoku," Artemis continued, "is because the pens will only work for the princesses of the Moon Kingdom's royal families. In situations like this, another princess would be able to link herself with the unclaimed transformation pen and assume the role of the missing Sailor Scout. Unfortunately, there aren't any other princesses."  
"Wait a minute," Ryoku interrupted. "What about Serenity? Can't she use the transformation pen?"  
"Because," Queen Serenity answered, "Serenity has a power greater than the transformation pens - the ability to use the Silver Crystal, which only the royal family of the Moon can use."  
"If it's so powerful, then why haven't you used it yet?" Ryoku asked, puzzled. "Is there something that prevents you or Serenity from using it?"  
"The Moon is dependent on the crystal. Without it, life on the Moon would be impossible. If either I, or Serenity, use the power of the Silver Crystal...."  
"Then, the Moon Kingdom would become more vulnerable than it is now and would be destroyed," he concluded. "So, we can't use it to make Princess Serenity into Sailor Moon, since that would weaken the Moon Kingdom's power."  
"That is correct," Queen Serenity said sadly.  
"It's too bad that there isn't a way for Ryoku to use the power of Sailor Earth without having to use the Earth transformation pen," Mercury said.  
Queen Serenity began to nod in agreement when an idea suddenly hit her. "Maybe there is a way...," she said thoughtfully.  
"What? Really?" Ryoku exclaimed. "What is it Your Majesty? Whatever it is, I'm willing to do it!"  
"Luna, Artemis, would you please bring me the Crescent Moon Wand and the Earth transformation pen?" she asked. Luna and Artemis nodded and quickly sped off to retrieve the objects.  
"Your Majesty, I would appreciate it if you would let me know what's going on," Ryoku asked, confused. "Why do you need the Crescent Moon Wand?"  
"I believe that there may be a way around needing the transformation pen to transform, but it will be extremely risky, not to mention dangerous. As for why I need the Crescent Moon Wand, that is part of it."  
"So, what are you going to do?" Venus asked.  
"Here's the Crescent Moon Wand, Your Majesty," Luna said, after dropping it in Queen Serenity's lap.  
"And here's the Earth pen," Artemis said, depositing the transformation pen next to the wand.  
"Ah, thank you, Luna, Artemis," Queen Serenity said, picking up the wand and pen. "Our main problem is that without the aid of a fifth Sailor Scout, you won't be able to do more than stop the seven Shadow Warriors. Although we have the Earth transformation pen and someone willing to assume the role of the Earth Scout, the two are incompatible. However, there may be a chance - a small chance - that with the power of the Crescent Moon Wand, I can form a new link between a new object and the power of the Earth, creating a new transformation object."  
"That's wonderful!" Mars said.  
"There's a catch though. An especially dangerous one. Forming a new link between the power of a Sailor Scout and a princess is a perfectly safe and normal process, but to do the same thing with a prince.... That has never been done before, since the transformation pens don't work for males. The process may be excruciatingly painful... perhaps even fatal."  
"Fatal...," Ryoku whispered uneasily.  
"That's not so wonderful," Jupiter remarked.  
"But, if I were to withstand the pain and survive the procedure...," he began, his voice growing hopeful.  
"Then, there's a good chance that you should receive the power of the Earth and become a Sailor Scout," Queen Serenity finished. "Ryoku, since you said you are willing to do anything to help stop Queen Beryl and defend my kingdom, then I assume you are willing to go through this linking procedure despite the pain and possibility of death?"  
He nodded determinedly. "Absolutely, Your Majesty."  
"Queen Serenity," Artemis interrupted, "what are we going to use to link him with the power?"  
"I know," he said suddenly. Drawing his swords, he placed them in front of Queen Serenity. "Will these do?" he asked.  
"Yes, they will be just fine," Queen Serenity replied, smiling. She rose from her throne and walked over to where Ryoku had placed his swords. She absently noted that he had placed them to look exactly like his sigil: a pair of crossed swords. She placed the Earth transformation pen next to his swords. After doing so, she turned to Ryoku and asked, "Are you ready, Ryoku?"  
He took in a deep breath and exhaled, making himself completely calm.  
  
"Ready," he answered.  
Queen Serenity nodded and returned to her throne, but didn't sit back down. Instead, she turned to face Ryoku with the Crescent Moon Wand in her right hand.  
"Good luck, Ryoku," Mercury said. "We'll all be hoping for the best."  
"Thank you, Sailor Mercury. And the other Scouts, too." Ryoku said. "Let's begin," he said confidently as he turned to Queen Serenity.  
A white glow enveloped the Crescent Moon Wand. Slowly, it grew larger and brighter. Two thin white beams shot out from the wand, one covering the Earth transformation pen, the other covering Ryoku's swords. Suddenly, a light brown light flew out of the pen towards the Earth through the window. A second beam returned from the Earth and covered the swords, joining with the white light from the wand. Both of the swords began to glow with a silver light, with the swords' insignia glowing brightest of all.  
Without warning, a pair of thin silver beams shot out from the insignia of the two swords and struck Ryoku in the middle of his forehead. A sharp, piercing pain caused him to clench his fists tightly and hiss painfully through his teeth, wincing. Slowly and steadily, the pain increased from minor discomfort to throbbing to agonizing. Ryoku remained on his feet, but he was beginning to writhe and groan in pain.  
"How long do you have to do this?" Jupiter asked, concerned for her brother.  
"Not much longer," Queen Serenity replied. "I am halfway done already. Unfortunately, from this point on, the pain will get much worse. If he survives, then we shall have a new Sailor Scout ready to join the battle against Queen Beryl. Don't worry; he is strong and determined. He will succeed."  
"I hope you're right," Mars said. "For Ryoku's sake."  
As the pain shot up from agonizing to excruciating, Ryoku finally fell to his knees and let out a scream of pain. Both the cat advisors and the Sailor Scouts cringed at the sound.  
"Ryoku!" Mercury shouted, holding out her arm as if she wanted to go to his side.  
"Come on, Ryoku," Jupiter said, "you can make it!"  
"Just a little longer," Venus said encouragingly.  
"You've got to succeed, Ryoku," Mars said. "We need your help."  
The light from the Crescent Moon Wand slowly dimmed and extinguished. As the light disappeared from the wand, the white light surrounding the transformation pen and the pair of swords disappeared as well, along with the light beams connecting the objects to the Earth. Only the silver glow of the swords and the silver light beam connecting them to Ryoku remained.  
As the silver glow finally disappeared, the two beams connecting Ryoku to his swords also disappeared. When that happened, his screams of pain were suddenly cut off and he collapsed to the floor.  
"Ryoku!" Mercury exclaimed as she, the other Scouts and the two cats rushed to the motionless figure.  
"Is he all right?" Queen Serenity asked anxiously.  
Mercury quickly checked for a pulse. She sighed with relief when she found it. "He's alive, but I think he's going to be unconscious for a while."  
"Did it work?" Venus asked.  
"I'm not sure," Queen Serenity said. "When he comes to, we shall all find out. Sailor Mercury, can you and Sailor Jupiter take him to the infirmary?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty," Mercury said, as she and Jupiter picked up and carried the unconscious figure to the infirmary.  
"All we can do now is wait and hope," Luna said.  
  
Sometime later, Ryoku awoke with a minor headache. It was only a small discomfort and could be easily ignored. When he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself, once again, in the infirmary. 'I wonder if this is the same bed they put me on last time,' he thought to himself. 'Well, unlike last time, I'm lying on it instead of just sitting on it. At least I got a nice short nap....'  
"Ryoku?" asked a familiar voice. He turned his head to look at Sailor Mercury.  
"Yes?" he replied, his voice a little hoarse from screaming in pain. He cleared his throat.  
"Oh, good. You're finally awake," she said, smiling. "How are you feeling?"  
"You mean, besides a sore throat and a small headache?" he asked jokingly, while sitting up. "Okay, I guess."  
Mercury gave a small laugh at that. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said.  
"Don't be," he said, grinning. He looked around to see if any of the others were there as well. They were alone. "Where's everyone else?" he asked.  
"The other Scouts are practicing using their powers for when Queen Beryl decides to attack. Luna and Artemis went with them. Your sister asked me to watch you and to let everyone know when you woke up. I didn't think it would be this soon though."  
"So is that the only reason you're here?" Ryoku asked quietly. "Because my sister asked you to? Or, is there another reason?"  
Sailor Mercury blushed a little and looked away. "Well... I was... worried about you... I mean, we were all worried...."  
Ryoku silently considered the blue-haired girl sitting next to him. He thought she looked cute blushing like that. He placed his hand on top of hers to get her attention. When he did so, she stopped talking and just looked at him.  
Sailor Mercury gazed into his gray eyes. She had always thought that his gray eyes were fascinating, along with his long brown hair. The fact that his hair was longer than hers never failed to amuse her.  
"Well," Ryoku said, after a long period of silence, "I can't just lie around here when there are more important things that need to be done. Speaking of which," he added while getting to his feet, "do you know if the linking was successful?"  
"We aren't sure yet."  
"Oh."  
"I have to go tell everyone you're awake now. You should go to the throne room. Queen Serenity is waiting for you," she said and left.  
"I hope it worked," he said quietly to himself. "I don't think I can survive another attempt."  
He was about to leave when he realized something. His headache was gone and his voice wasn't hoarse anymore. 'Strange, after screaming like I did, my throat should still be sore. How did it heal so quickly?'  
Another thought occurred to him. He quickly removed his shirt and started to peel off one of his bandages; one of the ones that was covering a minor wound. To his complete surprise, the wound was gone, completely healed. 'What? Impossible! That wound should've taken at least another day to heal.' He went on to remove all the bandages, except the one covering the large wound across his back. Somehow he doubted that even with this miraculous recovery of his, that wound would still need time to heal. As he suspected, each of the wounds were healed. 'I wonder if this means what I think it means....'  
Wasting no time thinking about it, he quickly pulled his shirt back on and hurried to the throne room.  
  
Queen Serenity and the Sailor Scouts were waiting for waiting for him, when Ryoku finally arrived at the throne room. "How are you feeling, Ryoku?" Queen Serenity asked him as soon as he entered the room.  
"I'm fine, Your Majesty. Thank you for asking," he replied. "In fact, I recovered faster than I thought I would. Almost all of my wounds are already gone."  
"That is good to hear. Your rapid recovery is a good sign."  
"So, the linking worked?" he asked excitedly.  
"We shall soon find out. Since everyone is here, Ryoku, please retrieve your swords. They are right here," Queen Serenity said, gesturing towards his swords, which had been placed leaning against her throne.  
He walked over and picked up his swords, one in each hand, and strode over to the middle of the room. "Now what do I do, Your Majesty?" he asked.  
"I've keyed your swords so they would activate through a different phrase," Queen Serenity explained. "Raise both of your swords above your head, cross them, and instead of 'Earth power, make up!', shout 'Knight swords power!'"  
He nodded and raised his swords and crossed them over his head. "I'm glad you changed the transformation phrase. It would've been embarrassing if I had to shout something like 'make up' every time I needed to transform. Guys aren't expected to run around shouting things like that, you know," he said jokingly.  
"I'd be more worried about transforming and ending up wearing something like this, Ryoku!" Jupiter said laughingly as she pointed down at her skirt. "However, I think you'd look cute in a skirt!" Everyone began to laugh while Ryoku merely glowered at his sister.  
"Very funny," he muttered as the others slowly stopped laughing. "At any rate, it's time to see if this works." All of the Scouts gave him a thumbs-up signal for encouragement. "Well, here it goes!" he said confidently. "Knight swords power!"  
A silver light started glowing from the swords in his hands. It then began to completely envelope Ryoku. Suddenly, the silver light flashed brightly, then disappeared, revealing Ryoku clothed in a silver and white uniform, partially similar to the uniform the other Scouts were wearing.  
The upper half of his uniform was very similar to the other Scouts' uniforms, except there was no bow in the back and the bow on the front was replaced by a hanging knot with a midnight blue stone on top. His gloves went to his wrists instead of his elbows. As for the lower half, he was relieved to find that he was wearing silver-gray trousers and boots instead of what the others were wearing. Around his neck was a necklace identical to the tiaras that the other Scouts wore. A silver stone was in the center of the necklace.  
In the middle of his forehead, a symbol suddenly appeared: the symbol for Earth placed in the hollow of a crescent moon on its side, superimposed over a pair of crossed swords. The symbol was a combination of both of the insignia from his two swords. As suddenly as it appeared, it then disappeared.  
"It worked!" he shouted excitedly.  
"Yes, it certainly did," Queen Serenity said, smiling with renewed hope. "Sailor Scouts, I present to you your newest ally in our fight against Queen Beryl: Sailor Knight."  
"I know I speak for all of the Sailor Scouts when I say how much we appreciate all that you've done to help us," Venus said.  
"Thank you all," Sailor Knight said, grinning. "Now that I have these new powers, I would appreciate it if you all would help me learn how to use them." His expression turned grim. "Our time is growing short. Beryl may invade at any time. We must hurry if I'm going to be of any help in our upcoming battle."  
"He's right, Scouts," Artemis said. "You don't have much time."  
"You must begin your training at once, Sailor Knight," Luna added. "The rest of you should also continue to practice using your powers."  
"Right," the five Sailor Scouts said simultaneously.  
"Good luck, all of you," Queen Serenity said to the departing Scouts.  
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Sailor Knight whispered to himself. "Thank you for everything."  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	9. Chapter 8: The End and the Beginning

Chapter 8: The End and the Beginning  
  
Serenity was standing out on the balcony, staring at the Earth again. She really didn't feel like attending the ball that was going on inside. The music and laughter from inside were barely audible. It didn't matter for her though; she was waiting for someone. She wasn't sure how she knew that he would be coming; she only knew that he was coming. That was all that really mattered anyway.  
"Serenity," a voice called out to her. She looked down from the balcony towards the one who had called out to her. It was him, the one she had been waiting for.  
"Endymion," she answered back. "Oh, finally you are here."  
"I have bad news, Princess," Endymion said.  
"You cannot come to the ball?" she asked, although she already suspected that it would be something worse than that. 'Oh, please let me be wrong....'  
"If it were only that, Serenity," he said, sadly. "Terrible things have happened on Earth. An evil tyrant named Queen Beryl has taken over there. She has corrupted many of my people by turning them into hideously deformed warriors loyal only to her.  
"We were forced to fight our own people, Serenity," he said with a profound sadness in his voice.  
"How terrible," she replied sadly, her heart broken at seeing her beloved in such emotional pain. "I'm sorry...."  
"This Queen Beryl appeared out of nowhere. No one knows where she came from, and her warriors are incredibly strong. Perhaps even unbeatable."  
Suddenly, some of the palace guards appeared, fully armed. "Who goes there?" one of them shouted.  
Endymion turned towards them in surprise. "Listen," he said quickly to Serenity, "I'd better go." He then ran off in the opposite direction of the guards, who quickly ran after him.  
"Endymion!" she called out as he ran off. "Oh, they must suspect everyone from Earth." 'Under the circumstances, I could understand, but they should know better than to suspect Endymion of being a spy.' She glanced in the direction that Endymion and the guards ran down. 'I hope they don't catch him....'  
She quickly left the balcony and ran down the stairs, hoping to get to Endymion before the guards did. As she hurried down the stairs, a hand reached out to hers. "Princess, may I have this dance?" asked a voice similar to that of Endymion's. She turned to the speaker and saw him dressed in a black tuxedo and cape, and wearing a white mask that covered his eyes. "Could be our last one," he said.  
"I'm so happy that you came back," she said, as he took her hand and drew her close to him.  
"I needed to have one last dance with you," he said as he led her to the dance floor. They began to dance.  
"I'm afraid that all of this will change, Serenity," he told her sadly. "Beryl's more dangerous than we all thought. She'll more than likely be setting her sights here very soon."  
"The Moon?" she asked apprehensively.  
"Yes," he replied grimly. "Beryl plans to take over the whole universe, and to do that, she must first conquer the Moon. You must prepare for the worst, Serenity."  
She stopped dancing and leaned against him, absorbing the news. It was terrible news, indeed. She didn't know what to say. 'No wonder Mother never told me about this. She didn't want me to have to worry about it. She must've been too busy preparing for this to have anybody else tell me anyway.  
Why didn't he tell me this before? Was it because he didn't want me to worry, either? Maybe it was because he had hurried back to Earth the moment he heard that it was being threatened. Oh, this is just so terrible. His home has been taken from him and now my home is being threatened with destruction....'  
"Your mother knows I'm not a spy," he said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up at him. "She has asked me to help defend her kingdom," he said and drew her closer to him. They just stood there, both giving and receiving each other's support. Serenity felt as thought these were going to be the last moments of her life.  
Perhaps they were.  
  
They were running short on time and that was what Sailor Knight needed to get used to his new powers. The other Scouts had been a tremendous help in giving him a thorough, if a bit rushed, training session similar to what they had gone through. Fortunately, he was a quick learner and the training he had had in other areas helped as well.  
He had already gotten accustomed to the speed that he could now swing his swords. Before that, he had often ended up lying flat on his face from constantly overreaching his mark. His strength, according to Luna, had doubled just like the other Scouts, or so he had discovered when he leaped a little too high and far, and ended up literally kissing the wall. The resulting headache vanished quickly, though.  
Now, he was working on controlling his power, which was taking the most time to get used to.  
"Earth...," he began, as he brought his outstretched arms and hands together. Both of his hands had their first and second fingers extended outward. As he slowly pulled his hands apart, a large spike of earth and stone began to form between them. Slowly, he brought the spike around to where it was over his shoulder with the tip pointing towards his target. "...thrust!" he finished, and threw the spike with his right hand, while only moving the left hand out of the way. The spike flew straight on target and hit the stone block in front of him, this time splitting it in two evenly down the middle.  
"There, I think I've got it now," Knight said with a grin to the others behind him. To his chagrin, they looked more relieved than excited. In a way, that was to be expected, since his last errant shot had accidentally pinned Mercury to the wall by her skirt. Luckily, she wasn't upset with him. Surprised, but not upset. All she did was smile a little unsteadily and say, "You missed." He completely understood when she and the others chose to remain behind him while he practiced using his power. He didn't want to repeat the same accident, or worse. "Now, I'm ready."  
"Are you sure, Knight?" Sailor Venus asked. "You've only been training for a few hours."  
"I'm sure," he replied. "Remember, I've already had some of the training you all went through. All I needed was to learn how to use and control my powers. Now, is everyone else ready?"  
The other four Scouts nodded their agreement. "I'm definitely ready for a rematch," Jupiter remarked almost eagerly.  
"Well," Mars said as she turned to look out the window, "we won't have long to wait." As one, the other four Scouts turned to see what Mars was looking at.  
The Earth was suddenly covered with a dark and foreboding shadow, turning its color from a beautiful light blue to a threatening grayish purple. A large black fog was slowly growing around the planet and was quickly heading in their direction.  
"It is time," Luna said.  
"This is it, Scouts," Artemis said. "If you don't stop them here, the Moon Kingdom is finished."  
"Let's go show them that they can't beat us twice!" Jupiter said as she and the other Scouts headed out the door.  
"Be careful, everyone!" Luna called after them.  
"Let's hope they come back alive, Luna," Artemis said.  
"That's all we can do for them," she added sadly. "We'd better go sound the alarm."  
  
"Sailor Mercury, wait a minute!" Knight shouted.  
She came to a stop and turned to face him as he ran up to her. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.  
"There's something I have to tell you... in case... something should happen to either one of us," he said.  
"You mustn't think like that," she replied. "You have to think positively. Nothing is going to happen to any of us. We won't lose this time. We have you to help us."  
"Yes, I know... but, still," he continued, reaching out and taking her hands in his, "even with me there, something still might happen." He slowly drew her close to him. "I don't want to lose you."  
"Ryoku...," she said softly as she laid her head on his shoulder and held him tightly. She tried to find some comfort in his embrace, despite knowing that there was still a good chance that she, the other Sailor Scouts and everybody else might die today should they fail. "...I don't want to lose you, either."  
He put one hand under her chin and slowly lifted her head so that he could see her face. Her blue eyes never looked more beautiful to him than they did right then. He moved his head forward to kiss her, going slowly so that she could move away if she wanted. When she didn't move away, he finally closed the distance between them.  
"We'd better hurry if we're going to join the others," he murmured when they finished. He reluctantly released her from his embrace, noticing that she was just as reluctant to leave it.  
"All right, let's go," she said and followed him as they went to catch up with the others.  
  
"Oh, Endymion, I cannot believe this is happening," Serenity said sadly. They had left the ballroom and were on a different balcony from the one Serenity had left.  
"Queen Beryl's relentless and she'll destroy absolutely everything that's in her way to get exactly what she wants," Endymion said, taking her hand in his. "I'll fight as hard as I can, but you must know I might not come back. I just hope you know how much you mean to me."  
"Of course, I do, Endymion," she said as tears began to form in her eyes.  
"You're in my heart, always," he said, gazing deeply into her eyes.  
"And you will always be in mine," she answered.  
Slowly, tenderly, they embraced and kissed. The tears that formed in her eyes slowly began to run down her cheeks.  
  
The darkness that had emerged from the Earth was now rapidly beginning to close in on the Moon Palace. From this darkness, Queen Beryl's warriors were charging forward, roaring savagely.  
Luna and Artemis ran through the ballroom sounding the call to arms. "We're under attack! We're under attack!" Luna shouted.  
"Get ready for battle!" Artemis shouted. "We need everyone we can get to fight!"  
Within moments, all of the people in the ballroom had vacated, off to find whatever they could use in defense of their kingdom and their home.  
  
Down on the Earth, a despondent Quartzite watched as the invasion army set off to destroy the Moon Kingdom. 'It's hardly fair! All of her strongest warriors are off to lay waste to the Moon Palace and I'm stuck here like some common guard assigned to protect the Queen's latest conquest!' he thought petulantly with some contempt. 'The commander of the armies should not have to be treated this way! I should be out there destroying the Moon Palace with everyone else.'  
He sighed with deep resentment. No matter how much he complained to himself, he knew he would always follow Queen Beryl's orders. At least, until he could find an opportunity to finally prove his worth to his Queen, once and for all!  
  
A dark black cloud spread throughout the clear starlit sky, blocking the perfect view of the Earth that was once one of the most treasured sights. An ominous and foreboding shadow began to cover the face of the Moon, where no  
  
such thing had any right to be. From out of the shadow, came the hordes of Queen Beryl's army.  
"Look, here they come!" Knight said, pointing to his left. In that direction, the Scouts could see the seven Shadow Warriors approaching.  
"Time to even the score," Jupiter said, pounding a fist into her other hand.  
"This time we have all five Sailor Scouts instead of four," Mars added.  
"We'll beat them this time," Venus declared confidently.  
"Are you ready for this, Ryoku?" Mercury asked Knight concernedly. "We did rush your training a bit."  
"I'm ready, Ami. Don't worry," he replied confidently. "I won't let you down. I promise."  
"Everybody ready?" Mars asked.  
"Ready!" came the unanimous reply.  
As the first of the Shadow Warriors attacked, the Scouts scattered in five directions at once and surrounded them.  
"Shabon spray!"  
A thick mist covered the area, reducing visibility.  
"Fire soul!"  
"Earth thrust!"  
The powers of Mars and Knight combined to produce a flaming spike of stone that struck down two of the Shadow Warriors.  
"Shabon spray!"  
"Supreme thunder!"  
"Crescent beam!"  
A combined attack of bubbles, lightning and light energy struck two more of the dark creatures. When the attack ceased, one was still standing. The other one wasn't.  
"Look out!" Venus yelled. One of the Shadow Warriors was heading straight for Sailor Mercury from behind. She hadn't noticed yet and it was beginning to close in on her.  
"Keep away from her!" Knight yelled, leaping at the dark creature with both of his swords drawn.  
"I'll get it!" Mars shouted. "Fire soul!"  
Knight reached the Shadow Warrior before the fireball. As he swung his swords, the fireball connected with them, setting his swords aflame. The blazing swords slashed right through the dark creature igniting it. It thrashed wildly for a few moments before it finally stopped moving. He looked down at the motionless form for a moment. "I think we got one!" he said ecstatically, pumping his arm in the air in triumph.  
"All right!" Jupiter shouted. "One down, six to go!" She aimed for the nearest Shadow Warrior and readied her power. "Supreme thunder!"  
An idea suddenly struck Knight as he threw one of his swords at the same Shadow Warrior that Jupiter aimed for. Since it was facing away from him, the sword struck and sunk deeply into its back moments before Jupiter's lightning bolt hit. The lightning bolt struck the Shadow Warrior and the sword, electrocuting the monster inside and out. When the attack ceased, the Shadow Warrior fell face down onto the ground, unmoving.  
"Well," Knight said, grinning, "that's two."  
The five remaining Shadow Warriors regrouped and prepared to face the  
  
Scouts one-on-one. The Scouts also regrouped and prepared to face the Shadow Warriors. For a few moments, the two groups merely glared at each other, as each Scout stared unflinchingly into the baleful crimson eyes of the Shadow Warriors. Then the tableau was broken by an explosion of movement as each combatant moved at the same time.  
Mercury leaped to the side before one of the Shadow Warriors could pounce on her. "Shabon spray!" she retaliated as she got to her feet. She missed the first time, as the dark creature jumped to dodge her attack, but that was what she was expecting. She fired a second time, this time scoring a direct hit and knocking the Shadow Warrior out of the air.  
Jupiter wasn't having such luck. She was constantly missing her opponent, who was moving at very high speeds. "Supreme thunder!" she tried again, but  
  
missed by a short margin. "Aaaahhh! I'll get you yet!" she roared angrily. "Supreme thunder!" She missed once again, but this time the Shadow Warrior leaped at her instead and struck a hard blow to her head, sending her flying into Venus.  
Venus had just blasted her opponent when Jupiter suddenly slammed into her without warning. "Are you all right?" she asked when she recovered from the blow.  
"Yeah, but that jerk won't be when I get through with him!" Jupiter replied fiercely. "Wanna give me a hand, Venus?"  
"No problem, Jupiter," Venus replied as she readied her attack. "Crescent...."  
"Supreme...."  
"...beam!"  
"...thunder!"  
The combined attack of lightning and energy smashed into the charging  
  
Shadow Warrior, blasting it a good distance away. "That felt good!" Jupiter said. Venus nodded in agreement.  
Mars and Knight were busy dealing with their opponents, who had decided to work as a team. As a result, the two Scouts were having a difficult time, especially since Knight hadn't yet recovered his other sword.  
The two Shadow Warriors were heading for Knight. One tried to lunge at him, but he leaped away. The second one got to him in midair and sent him hurtling to the ground directly towards Mars at an alarming speed. At the speed he was going, it was likely that he would break his neck upon landing.  
Instead of leaping away, Mars leaped towards the plummeting Sailor Scout, trying to catch him. He was falling too fast and instead of her catching him, he slammed hard into her and they both fell to the ground. Luckily, their midair collision caused him to slow down enough so that when they hit the ground they were okay. They were sore, but okay.  
"Ow... that wasn't very smart," Mars moaned, still on the ground. Knight was just barely getting up. She had taken the brunt of the fall and was still hurting from it.  
"Mars, are you okay?" Knight asked.  
"Just give me a minute," she replied.  
"Thanks for saving me, Mars," he said, smiling in gratitude. He offered her a hand, which she accepted.  
She got to her feet and returned the smile. "Now, we're even."  
"So we are," he said with an amused shrug.  
The two Shadow Warriors were resuming their attack. Mars and Knight both prepared their attacks.  
"Fire...."  
"Earth...."  
"...soul!"  
"...thrust!"  
Their powers combined to form a flaming spike of stone, which soared straight for the pair of creatures charging at them. It struck one, knocking it to the side, but the other was still coming.  
"Mars," Knight said suddenly, "remember what happened when your power  
  
struck my swords?"  
"Yeah, I remember," she answered. "Are you planning what I think you're planning?"  
"Just aim your power at me when I give you the word," he said and ran toward the charging Shadow Warrior. "Now!"  
"Fire soul!"  
The fireball was heading straight for him, closing very quickly. Moments before the fireball reached him, he threw his remaining sword at the oncoming Shadow Warrior and dived to the side. The sword struck the dark creature in the middle of its chest just as the fireball struck the sword. Just as Jupiter's lightning flowed through the sword to electrocute a Shadow Warrior inside and out, the fireball flowed through the sword, setting the creature's insides aflame, just like the outside. Within moments, the Shadow Warrior was lying on the ground, charred and motionless.  
"That's three," Mars said.  
Suddenly, another Shadow Warrior landed beside its fallen comrade. Following the Shadow Warrior was Mercury. She fired her bubbles at the dark  
  
creature, which had quickly dodged out of the way towards Knight. He was caught by surprise and tried to dodge out of the way, but the Shadow Warrior was still on him. The creature was closing in and he didn't have either of his swords with him.  
Before the Shadow Warrior launched its attack, Knight instinctively thrust both of his empty hands outward, as if reaching for something. As he reached out for his swords, both physically and mentally, they both suddenly shot into the air and flew into his waiting hands. He was surprised only for a second, when the Shadow Warrior made his attack. Now that he had his swords back again, he could easily block the Shadow Warrior's attack. He then countered with several slashes of his twin swords, which succeeded in driving the dark creature back.  
"We shouldn't let Knight have all the fun, right, Mercury?" Mars commented with a grin. "How about we give him a hand?"  
"Ready when you are," Mercury replied.  
"Fire soul!"  
"Shabon spray!"  
When Knight heard Mars and Mercury fire their attacks, he leaped aside and prepared to fire his own attack.  
"Earth thrust!"  
The three attacks all hit at once, knocking the Shadow Warrior a long  
  
distance away. After the creature landed, they saw that it was as lifeless as the first three.  
"That should make four," Knight said.  
"How did you make your swords do that?" Mercury asked.  
"I'm not sure," he replied, puzzled. "I just did it. Anyway, let's go help the others with the other three Shadow Warriors."  
When they found Jupiter and Venus, they were busy handling two of the last three Shadow Warriors. The last one was heading straight for them.  
"Mars, you help Venus," Knight ordered. "Mercury, go help Jupiter. I'll take care of this one."  
"Got it," Mars agreed as she and Mercury each left to help the other two Scouts.  
"Shabon spray!"  
A thick mist appeared and covered the area, reducing visibility. Jupiter looked around for Mercury and saw her approach from out of the fog. "Thanks, Mercury. You're just in time to help me finish them off. Care to join me?"  
"Certainly, Jupiter," Mercury answered. "Shabon spray!"  
"Supreme thunder!"  
The combined lightning and bubbles shot straight at the Shadow Warrior, but it dodged at the last second. The second combined blast, however, didn't miss.  
Mars and Venus were easily holding off the Shadow Warrior they were facing, but they were having trouble actually landing an attack on it. It was moving quickly, dodging each of their attacks easily.  
"This thing's just too fast," Mars growled.  
"Let's give it another try, Mars," Venus said. "Crescent beam!"  
"Fire soul!"  
The two attacks shot straight at the nimble creature, side by side. The Shadow Warrior was just about to dodge the two attacks at the last moment, when Knight suddenly leaped at the Shadow Warrior from out of nowhere. Just like before, the powers of Mars and Venus struck both of his swords, setting one aflame and causing the other to glow with a yellow light.  
Before the Shadow Warrior could avoid the attack, Knight swung both of his swords at the dark creature, giving it a taste of fire and light energy. It then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.  
"That makes five," Knight said, turning to the other two Scouts.  
"What happened with that Shadow Warrior you we're fighting by yourself?" Mars asked.  
"The strangest thing happened," Knight said. "I was preparing to attack the charging Shadow Warrior, when suddenly another Shadow Warrior comes flying outta nowhere and slams into the first one, before I even have a chance to attack. I guess that second one was the one Jupiter and Mercury were facing." He shrugged.  
"Well, now we have two more to defeat," Venus said. "We're winning! We still have a chance to save the Moon Kingdom!"  
"You got that right, Venus!" Jupiter said as she and Mercury joined them.  
"How many do we have left?" Mercury asked.  
"Two," Venus said.  
"That's what I thought," she said, nodding to herself.  
"And speaking of which," Mars said, turning to look to her right, "here they come again."  
As each Scout looked to where she was looking, they saw that the last two Shadow Warriors were charging at them. "Everybody, hit them at once!" Venus  
  
shouted.  
"Shabon spray!"  
"Fire soul!"  
"Supreme thunder!"  
"Crescent beam!"  
"Earth thrust!"  
The five attacks combined into one massive attack that pounded the last two Shadow Warriors flat. Neither one got up after that. "I think that's the last of them!" Sailor Knight said.  
"We did it! We won!" Mars shouted as they others began to shout in triumph.  
The sky slowly grew darker as a cold wind suddenly began to blow from out of nowhere. Without warning, seven dark green bolts of dark energy shot down from the sky, striking all seven of the fallen Shadow Warriors simultaneously.  
"What's happening?" Mercury asked anxiously.  
"I'm guessing that Beryl's taking a more active role in this battle," Knight seethed.  
Each of the seven revived Shadow Warrior converged onto one spot, where an explosion of dark energy engulfed them. When the dark energy dissipated, a huge version of the Shadow Warriors stood in their place.  
"I don't like the looks of that thing," Mars said nervously.  
"If we all combine our powers, we can beat this thing!" Jupiter shouted encouragingly.  
"Jupiter's right!" Sailor Venus added. "Everybody ready?"  
"Ready!" the rest shouted in unison.  
"Shabon spray!"  
"Fire soul!"  
"Supreme thunder!"  
"Crescent beam!"  
"Earth thrust!"  
Once again, the five attacks merged into one gigantic attack and hit the enormous form dead center. The giant creature was unharmed by the attack. In fact, it seemed to be amused.  
"Uh-oh...," Knight muttered apprehensively.  
"PATHETIC HUMANS!" the creature laughed in a hideously demonic voice,  
  
"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"  
Screams were ripped from five separate throats as the Sailor Scouts were blasted several feet from where they were standing.  
Knight found himself sprawled on his back, slowly losing consciousness. Trying to sit up was almost impossible. He was so weak he could only move his head. He felt very, very tired, almost as if he wanted to go to sleep. He forced himself to stay awake as he turned his head to look around him. He saw that the other Scouts were sprawled out in a similar fashion, like he was. Their Scout uniforms were scorched very badly by the blast. Looking at himself, he noticed that he had received similar treatment and his uniform was scorched just as badly. He also noticed that one of his swords was missing.  
Slowly, he began to realize, to his shock and dismay, that the others weren't breathing. They had all died, and he was the only one still alive. 'No. No! NO!!! They can't be dead! They can't! How can they be dead if I'm still alive? Minako... Rei... Makoto... Ami... please, don't be dead... PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD!!!'  
As Knight drifted further into unconsciousness, he began to realize that he, too, must be dying. 'I guess I didn't make it after all. Not that it matters anymore. They're all dead now. At least I can join them. Wait for me everyone... I'm coming with you....'  
Slowly, he gave into the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him. Slowly, he closed his eyes and joined his friends, teammates, and loved ones in death.  
  
From among the fighting, Akiyama saw a huge shadow-like creature heading straight for them. Looking around her, she noticed that the invaders had abruptly retreated from the battle. Only she and her troops were still there. 'What's going on? Why did they just retreat like that? And where did that thing come from?'  
The huge creature focused its blazing red eyes at her and her troops and suddenly fired a multitude of dark green energy bolts at them. The screams of her troops filled her ears as a bolt of dark energy hit her directly in the middle of her chest. The last thing she saw while dying was that the huge shadow-like creature was now blasting the Moon Palace's walls apart.  
  
From atop the rubble, Beryl laughed while her warriors stormed the palace ruins. "Very soon, both the Earth and the Moon will be under my control!" she gloated. "I'll have Queen Serenity begging for mercy!" She raised her staff above her head, causing red energy bolts to shoot out from it. "No one can defeat the power of the Dark Kingdom! No one!" A bright explosion of energy emitted from her staff, wrecking the Moon Palace further. "The universe shall soon be mine!"  
  
Serenity stood watching in horror as the palace crumbled around her. Her home was being destroyed before her distraught eyes. She devoutly hoped that Endymion was all right.  
Suddenly, Beryl appeared above her. Serenity gasped, wide-eyed in fear. "Well, if it isn't the Moon Princess," she said mockingly. "I'll tear up your pretty little face!" She lunged at Serenity, claw-like fingernails extended.  
Before she could reach her, a rose flew through the air, its stem striking Beryl's outstretched hand. Angrily, she turned towards the one who threw the rose.  
"Beryl, if you lay a finger on her, I'll make you pay!" Endymion shouted angrily.  
"Who are you?" she demanded.  
"I am Prince Endymion, sworn to defend the Moon Kingdom against evil like you!" Endymion said, moving protectively between her and Serenity.  
"Prince Endymion?" Beryl said. "From Earth? I've heard of you. You have great promise. You and that other prince, Prince Ryoku I believe his name was.  
"Well, I can see why she'd hang on to you, but you're wasting your time with that twit. Why not join me, Endymion, and we'll rule the Dark Kingdom together," she said enticingly.  
"I refuse, Beryl." he replied, his voice dripping with scorn. "There is no way that I'll join a repulsive, evil witch like you."  
Beryl was infuriated. "Silence!" she screamed furiously. "You will die as well!"  
A giant green bolt of dark energy flew out from the huge dark creature looming overhead. The energy bolt covered Endymion and Serenity, pulling him away from her.  
"Endymion, what is happening?" she asked, anxiously.  
"Run, Serenity!" he yelled as he was being pulled away. "Just run!"  
"No, Endymion," she shouted, as she ran towards him. "I want to be with you!"  
"No, you can't!" he shouted, still floating away from her. "Serenity, don't!"  
Taking a running leap, she jumped towards him, each reaching out for the other. Slowly, the gap between them closed and they grasped each other's hand. Another green bolt blasted the two apart, each screaming for the other with their last breath.  
  
Running towards her daughter, Queen Serenity, along with Luna and Artemis, arrived too late to save either Serenity or Endymion.  
"Serenity! No!" she cried. "She's taken them both!"  
Luna bowed her head and cried. "Oh, no! Not the princess!"  
Beryl laughed maliciously. "They are dead, the fools. Thus is the fate of all who opposes me."  
"No!" Queen Serenity fell to her knees in anguish. "Serenity! No, it can't be!" she sobbed quietly. "Don't worry, darling, I won't let it end this way," she said determinedly, as she brought out the Silver Crystal and attached it to the Crescent Moon Wand. "I won't let them take away your future!" A red flash came from the crystal.  
"Queen Serenity," Luna said worriedly, tears still in her eyes, "if you use the Silver Crystal, you'll die."  
"It's the only way, Luna," Queen Serenity said calmly. "I must sacrifice my kingdom if we're to regain our peace." Slowly, she stood and raised the wand over her head. "Moon healing escalation!"  
Light pulsed out from the crystal, spreading everywhere. "What is this?" Beryl exclaimed, flinching away from the energy radiating from the crystal. Glowing spheres of light hit the massive dark creature that loomed over the palace, breaking it up. The same energy also seemed to break up any who came from the Dark Kingdom. All over the Moon, and also the Earth, the warriors of the Dark Kingdom began to vanish. "You can't do this to me!" Beryl shrieked. "You haven't seen the last of me! I will return and the universe will belong to me!" All at once, anyone belonging to the Dark Kingdom disappeared.  
"Your Majesty, you did it!" Luna exclaimed. "They're gone!"  
"You beat them!" Artemis added.  
Queen Serenity was lying on a broken pillar. "The Silver Crystal will bring peace if someone with a heart of good uses it," she said exhaustedly as she  
  
removed the Silver Crystal from the wand and held it out in front of her. "However, if someone with a heart of evil were to use it, it could turn into a horrendous weapon. And now, I must send them all to a new future on Earth." She flung her head aside, crying.  
Luna was puzzled by the Queen's sadness. "But, you saved them. Why are you so sad?"  
Queen Serenity stared blankly ahead at the stars. "Because none of them will remember anything about this time or this place. Nothing! And I'll never see my sweet daughter again. Or, you two, either." She slowly raised the empty wand. "But this is the only way for any of you to live on.  
"I have managed to seal them off with the power of the Silver Crystal, but they may return again. Only those with royal blood can use the Crescent Moon Wand. You must entrust this to Princess Serenity should that time come.  
"I have enough power left to send everything you'll need in the future to Earth. Serenity and the Sailor Scouts will need your help if the Dark Kingdom ever breaks free."  
"Yes," Luna and Artemis replied in unison.  
"All of you will be reborn on Earth," she continued, "with no memory of the Moon Kingdom whatsoever, but if evil forces should try to repeat what happened here, you two will know what to do." She raised the crystal into the air. "Now, farewell all of you, and good luck. Goodbye, Serenity. You are in my heart, always."  
The Silver Crystal rose into the air. When it stopped, high into the sky, a bright flash lit the sky. Bright spheres of light rose from the ground into the air, each containing the spirits of the Sailor Scouts, Endymion, Serenity, and the rest of the Moon Kingdom, and headed for Earth.  
Queen Serenity watched as everyone headed for Earth. She knew that she wouldn't be able to go with her daughter, so she would arrange it so that Serenity's father's sister and her family would take care of Serenity in her place. She knew that the Tsukino family would be the best choice for Serenity.  
"Be happy," she said sadly. "On behalf of the Moon, you will be free again. Perhaps one day, Serenity, we'll meet again." She then collapsed and breathed her last. As her grip slackened, the Crescent Moon Wand fell to the ground.  
"Queen Serenity!" Luna and Artemis exclaimed. The Crescent Moon Wand stopped before hitting the ground and flashed a brilliant white light. The two cat advisors were placed in stasis chambers, to awaken on Earth in the future.  
From its position in the skies above the Moon, the Silver Crystal suddenly shattered into seven different pieces; each a different color of the rainbow. They all flew in different directions, each piece embedding itself inside one of the subjects of the Moon Kingdom at random. Unbeknownst to anyone, these seven would have a  
  
crucial role to play in the future.  
As the last of the Moon Kingdom rose from the ruins to join the others on Earth in the future, a sudden breeze stirred upon the surface of the Moon. This breeze would be the last the Moon would ever have. The breeze stirred up dust and debris from the abandoned battlefield, marking the death of one life and the birth of a new one - on Earth.  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


	10. Epilogue: Rebirth

Epilogue: Rebirth  
  
June 30th - 14 years ago A hospital somewhere in Tokyo, Juuban ward 7:51 P.M.  
  
The man waited outside his wife's hospital room. His wife was resting. She had been in labor for a long time. By the time she had finally given birth to a beautiful baby girl, she was exhausted and needed rest.  
He wanted to see his first child. He had come up with several female names when he and his wife learned that their child was female, but he was still unsure about what to name her. Maybe the perfect name would come to him when he saw her.  
The nurse opened the door and turned to address the man. "Tsukino- san, you can see your wife and child now. Please be very quiet. The baby is asleep and your wife still needs rest."  
"Yes, thank you," the man said hastily, and quickly squeezed past the  
  
nurse and hurried to his wife's side.  
She was glowing with joy at the new addition to their family. She beckoned him closer. As the man watched his new daughter sleeping peacefully, he was  
  
struck with sudden inspiration. "Let's name her Usagi," he said, as he continued to admire his daughter.  
"That's a beautiful name, dear," his wife said approvingly. "A beautiful name, perfect for our dear, sweet Tsukino Usagi."  
  
Present day -  
  
Luna suddenly awoke from her ages long catnap. She crawled out of her  
  
stasis chamber and stretched. She found herself in one of the many alleys of downtown Tokyo. Looking around, she saw no sign of Artemis. She hoped that there was a reason why they were separated. She had a huge task ahead of her and she could certainly use his help.  
She knew why she had been awakened. She was needed to search out the Moon Princess and her protectors, the Sailor Scouts. Unfortunately, she had no clue as to their identities. She sighed to herself and exited the alley. She had a lot of searching to do. She could feel the energies of the Dark Kingdom beginning to stir....  
  
The End of the Moon Kingdom series  
  
Afterword - October 23, 2003  
  
There you have it. An eight chapter - a prologue and an epilogue, too - history of my longest story EVER. Spanning five series and 88 chapters(including the 'Lost Chapters') to date, this Herculean task was - and still is - fun for me to plan and write. It better be, considering that I have a grand total thirty-four series plotted out for this story.  
  
Yes, thirty-four.  
  
34.  
  
Three-four.  
  
Try not to look so shocked, please. I know how long that many series may take - hell, four series took me four years - so, if you're following this story, it's gonna be a long ride. But, I certainly hope not to disappoint. I think I've done all right for myself so far. To paraphrase Kino Ryoku: "The future is not truly written until the present is past."  
  
We'll see what the future holds.  
  
- Jason C. Ulloa  
  
The rest of this fic can be found on my site:  
  
Questions? Comments? Reasonable - and I mean REASONABLE, DAMMIT!!! - complaints? Email: jasonulloa(at)hotmail.com or ulloaj(at)stennis.navy.mil  
  
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC, Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.  
  
Thank you.  
  
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku: Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved. 


End file.
